More than two thousand people have held a rally protesting against a planned chemical plant in southern China.

It is the second demonstration this month against the project.

Amateur footage on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter showed a strong police presence.

“They have chosen a project that will create lots of pollution,” said one protester. “It will destroy our environment and our homeland and only benefit the owners.”

The plant is due for Kunming city and is expected to produce a chemical used in the making of fabrics and plastic bottles.

It has been approved by China’s National Development and Reform Commission but since then opposition to the project has grown.

Analysts say China’s increasingly affluent urban population has begun to object to “growth at all costs” giving environmental issues more of a priority.