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Police and demonstrators clash at protests over French anti-dam activist’s death

Protests at the death of Green activist Rémi Fraisse took place in several French cities on Saturday. Two police officers were injured in clashes with demonstrators in the south-western city of Toulouse.

The site of the proposed dam at Sivens with a banner reading "Not Forgotten, Not Forgiven, Nor Negotiation. No Justice. No Peace for Remi"
The site of the proposed dam at Sivens with a banner reading "Not Forgotten, Not Forgiven, Nor Negotiation. No Justice. No Peace for Remi" Reuters/Regis Duvignau
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The 21-year old environmental activist's death after being hit by a grenade fired by police at an anti-dam protest two weeks ago has sparked a number of demonstrations against “police brutality”.

Saturday's rallies were banned in the Breton capital, Rennes, and Toulouse but several hundred turned out in both cities.

Two police officers were reported to have been slightly injured, a member of the public was attacked, a car was set on fire and 21 people were arrested in clashes as the Toulouse protest broke up.

About 1,500 turned out in Paris, where a small group threw missiles at police, who responded with teargas, but only one arrest was made.

"It's unacceptable,” one demonstrator told RFI. “His entire upper body was in pieces and they tell us they are going to investigate. These kinds of grenades should not be fired. They are not meant for that. And it wasn't self-defence, because the police were dressed like robocop and weren't at risk. Protesters were throwing dirt and rocks."

Work on the dam has been suspended and France's Ecology Minister Ségolène Royal will be reexamining the project, deemed expensive and unprofitable by critics.
 

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