Editorial photo #11209020 Social Issue
XR'action Dubbed 'Hello Darkness' Against The Highway A69 Toulouse-Castres
Police officers are walking with an activist they have arrested to place him in a police van. Extinction Rebellion - Toulouse is organizing an action called 'Hello Darkness' in front of the town hall of Toulouse, the Capitole, to protest against the controversial A69 highway between Toulouse and Castres. They are also protesting against the construction of several bitumen plants along the A69 near schools and organic vegetable producers. Some activists are receiving fake bitumen on themselves to symbolize the pollution caused by asphalt production. The police have intervened and arrested five people. The main association 'La Voie est Libre' (i.e., 'The Way is Free'), which opposes the highway, wants the construction to be halted until all judicial decisions on the matter are made. Not all expropriations for farmers have been resolved. Opponents of the project argue that the reprofiling of the N126 would be sufficient for the 6,000 vehicles expected per day and would cost much less. The A69 highway is projected to cost EUR512 million (in 2018 euros without inflation) for 54 kilometers, and its construction will destroy habitats for more than 100 protected species and 400 hectares of agricultural land. In Toulouse, France, on May 4, 2024. (Photo by Alain Pitton/NurPhoto)
