Thousands of people took to the streets of Paris and two other French cities on Saturday, demonstrating against police brutality nearly two weeks after an activist was killed during a protest against a controversial dam project.

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At least two police officers were injured and 21 people were arrested as protesters clashed with the police in the southern French city of Toulouse. Similar demonstrations in Paris and the western French city of Rennes passed peacefully.

Demonstrators were commemorating a 21-year-old student, Rémi Fraisse, who was killed on October 26 in Albi, in southern France, while protesting against the Sivens dam project in the Tarn region.

An autopsy from the prosecutor’s office found Fraisse had died instantly after being hit in the back by a grenade. A detailed report is expected on whether the grenade was thrown from the area where the police were posted or from among the protesters, who were clashing with the police.

Protesters opposed to the Sivens dam project in the Tarn region say it will destroy a reservoir of biodiversity and will benefit only a small number of farmers. Those promoting the project say the dam is in the public interest as it will ensure irrigation and the development of high-value crops.

The death of the young environmental activist has sparked angry demonstrations across France and a political debate as members of the Green Party have called the killing “an indelible stain” on the track record of French President François Hollande’s government. Meanwhile, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has denounced the “shameless politicisation” of the tragedy by Green deputies.

'We will not forgive or forget'

On Saturday, an initial peaceful demonstration in Toulouse degenerated into violence as protesters, many with their faces wrapped in scarves or wearing gas masks, clashed with the police, throwing projectiles at the lines of police officers surrounding the demonstration.

Around 1,400 people gathered for a protest in the Place de la Bastille in Paris Saturday afternoon chanting slogans against police brutality and holding signs that said “Police, assassins”.

Chanting, “We will not forgive or forget,” Parisian protesters said the government's response to the incident was inadequate and death underscored a deeper malaise plaguing France today. “It's a human tragedy, [it’s also] a political symbol, the symbol of a break between young people and the government. There are tensions in our society and things can get out of hand,” said William Martinet, president of the student union, UNEF (Union Nationale des Etudiants de France).

At the request of the Fraisse family, the government has launched a formal investigation into the circumstances of his death, the results of which are expected later this week.



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