French police clashed with protesters in Sainte-Soline in western France on Saturday, as campaigners attempted to prevent the construction of reservoirs in the southwest of the country. The clashes followed days of violent protests across the country over President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform, which forced the cancellation of a visit by King Charles III of the UK. The protest movement against pension reform has turned into the biggest domestic crisis of Macron’s second mandate, with daily clashes in the streets of Paris and other cities. The clashes at Sainte-Soline came after a long procession of activists set off towards the construction site, which was defended by police, with violent clashes breaking out between the security forces and radical militants. The French Interior Minister has blamed the “extreme left and the ultra-left” for the eruption of violence, with 24 members of the security forces wounded, one very seriously, and seven protesters wounded, also one very seriously. The violent scenes have sparked astonishment abroad, with the Times of London describing chaos in France above a picture of rubbish piling up on the streets.
