Thousands of people protested in the French Alps on Saturday against the construction of a high-speed rail link between France and neighboring Italy. There were brief clashes with the police.
Thousands of people protested in the French Alps on Saturday against the construction of a high-speed rail link between France and neighboring Italy. There were brief clashes with the police.
According to the organizers, around 5,000 environmental activists gathered near the village of Saint-Rémy-de-Maurienne, despite a ban on gatherings; the police spoke of 3000 participants. According to an AFP reporter, some of the demonstrators began throwing stones at the police, who then used tear gas. The crowd later stormed a nearby railway line, which had been shut down hours earlier as a precaution.
Funded by the European Union (EU), the new route will connect Lyon and Turin in Italy with a 57.5-kilometer tunnel through the Alps. The estimated costs amount to more than 26 billion euros.
Supporters of the project claim that it will significantly relieve freight traffic on the roads. Opponents, on the other hand, warn of devastating ecological damage. According to them, the construction work has already dried up some springs.