PARIS

Environmentalists in southern France protesting the construction of a highway connecting Toulouse and Castres have built a wall in the middle of the road.

The construction would destroy 400 hectares (988 acres) of arable land, according to a written statement by organizers of the demonstration, which saw thousands march against the project, responding to calls from many environmental groups and associations.

It would also involve the pouring of tar over 53 kilometers (33 miles), added the statement. The demonstration began in the town of Saix and protesters are expected to walk approximately 12 kilometers.

Opposition politicians, including Anne Stambach-Terrenoir of the far-left La France Insoumise party and Sandrine Rousseau of the left-wing New Ecological and Social People's Union, were also among the protesters.

Videos shared on social media show protesters throwing banana peels onto the road and building a wall.

French news channel BFMTV reported that protesters also set fire to bales of hay and car tires on the road.