Opponents of the government's plans to build a new airport in the northwestern city of Nantes, demonstrated in their hundreds on Saturday, against legal proceedings to evict inhabitants from the planned construction site. The demonstration mobilized 20,000 people according to organizers, whereas the police put it down as only 7,200, reports RFI.
It was the largest demonstration by opponents of a controversial airport project in Nantes, since February last year.
They came in their hundreds by bike, tractors and on foot to express their anger after several families were slapped with an eviction order to leave the site of the future runway.
The farmers and their families are being asked to go by giant construction firm Vinci, which is in charge of building the controversial airport at Notre-Dames-des-Landes, in west France.
A full hearing before judges at Nantes is scheduled for January 13th.
The farmers, some of whose families have been on the same land for generations, are refusing to go.
And on Saturday, thousands of activists and sympathizers took over Nante's main highway to support them in their resistance.
People at Nantes have been opposed to plans to build a new airport for over three decades.
Read more of this report from RFI here.
Read Mediapart's coverage here.