PARIS: Local French authorities Friday decided to suspend work on a controversial dam after the death last week of an activist protesting against the project that sparked uproar in the country.
The executive council in charge of the project in the southwestern Tarn region decided to freeze work on the dam but did not definitively scrap it.
It was “impossible” in light of the tragedy to “continue any work on the site” of the Sivens dam project, said Thierry Carcenac, head of the Tarn’s executive council.
“What happened was terrible and should never happen again,” added Carcenac.
Remi Fraisse, 21, died in the early hours of Sunday morning during violent clashes between security forces and protesters against the project.
His was the first death during a protest in mainland France since 1986.
Initial investigations showed traces of TNT on his clothes and skin, suggesting he may have been killed by a police stun grenade.
France’s interior minister, who has come under fire over the incident, has since banned the use of the grenades, which are designed to stun rather than kill.
The already unpopular government of President Francois Hollande has come under more pressure for a perceived slow response over the death as well as allegations that police mishandled the riots.
The death has given way to renewed clashes. Overnight Thursday, some 200 protesters rampaged through the western city of Rennes, with some turning over cars and breaking shop windows.
Further protests are planned throughout the weekend and authorities are bracing for further unrest.
Ecology Minister Segolene Royal will next week gather together all warring parties to discuss the future of the Sivens dam.
Those opposed to the project say the dam will destroy a reservoir of biodiversity and will only benefit a small number of farmers.
Those promoting the project, meanwhile, retort that the dam is in the public interest as it will ensure irrigation and the development of high-value crops. -AFP