ANKARA

At least five protesters in France were detained as environmental activists against massive irrigation reservoirs under construction marched Saturday in the western port of La Rochelle, according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.

The Governorship of the Charente-Maritime province warned citizens to stay away from the port and its surroundings.

Nearly 4,000 environmental activists, with the participation of activists camped around Deux-Sevres, started a march toward the port to protest the construction.

While bus stops and some workplaces in the city center were damaged during the march, police intervened against the activists who burned garbage cans and threw Molotov cocktails.

Activists charge that the reservoirs, set to be filled from aquifers in the winter to provide summer irrigation, benefit large farmers at the expense of smaller operations and the environment.​​​​​​​

*Writing by Gozde Bayar