On Saturday 8 June, in Puylaurens (Tarn), clashes broke out between opponents of the A69 Castres-Toulouse motorway and the forces of law and order. A CRS was slightly injured by a Molotov cocktail, while a gendarme was hit in the neck by mortar fire, according to information from the prefecture

Tensions have persisted between demonstrators and police since the start of the afternoon, with three police vehicles targeted. The prefecture estimates that 800 radicals were among the 1,600 participants, while the organisers claim that 7,000 people took part in total.

The Tarn prefecture reported the formation of several processions actively seeking confrontation with the forces of law and order. It also noted the presence of individuals equipped with shields and dangerous objects.

Michel Vilbois, prefect of the Tarn department, said that the majority of participants were radicals who had come to cause trouble. According to him, only around 400 demonstrators were peaceful. Thomas Brail, an opponent of the A69 project, disputed this view, deploring the fact that demonstrators committed to defending the environment were described as ‘radicals’.

Despite a ban on all gatherings in the areas concerned, the opponents, supported by local environmental groups and Soulèvements de la Terre, gathered on private land near the village of Puylaurens. Although challenged before the Toulouse administrative court, the prefectoral orders banning the gatherings were upheld.