Paris: About 1,000 armed foreigners have participated in the violent clashes with French police during the local farmers’ protests against the construction of a water reservoir in the city of Sainte-Soline, French Cabinet spokesperson Olivier Veran said on Thursday .
“There were thousands of people in Sainte-Soline, about one thousand of them armed foreigners from other European countries, to attack police and internal security officers who were trying to keep order in extremely difficult conditions,” he told France Inter Radio.
Veran did not elaborate as to where those non-residents had come from and what they were armed with.
The farmers’ demonstration in Sainte-Soline two weeks ago against the construction of a water reservoir turned into violent clashes with the local police.
The protesters used Molotov cocktails and fireworks, setting at least four police vehicles on fire, while the police fired tear gas grenades. Around 200 protesters were injured, two have been reported to be in coma.
