Despite a ban on protesting at the site of the A-69 motorway between Castres and Toulouse, thousands of protesters marched on Saturday in southern France to denounce plans to build a new highway they say will pollute and threaten biodiversity.

Simultaneously, police clashed with the activists, resulting in five injuries, according to local officials.

Regional authorities reported that a police officer, two paramilitary gendarmes, and two protesters were injured in the clashes.

Ecologists and left-wing activists are opposing the motorway extension, citing scientists' warnings that it will destroy wetlands, farmlands, trees, and underground water sources.

The initial clashes erupted around 3:00 pm (1300 GMT) when "radicalized protesters... determined to commit acts of violence" attempted to reach a main road, according to a statement from local officials.

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Riot police deployed tear gas to disperse the demonstrators and prevent them from accessing the road leading to the construction site. Some protesters reportedly responded by launching fireworks and throwing Molotov cocktails at the security forces.

The Tarn region prefecture condemned "extremely violent attacks with catapults," noting that the crowd included "1,200 radical individuals." These individuals "clearly come to cause damage with no link to the issue," said the prefect, Michel Vilbois.

"We have a duty to step in," said one activist from climate campaign group Extinction Rebellion. "As long as we are there, the motorway will not go ahead," she added.

Organizers of the protest near the village of Puylaurens, called by the Roue Libre group, reported an attendance of 7,000 activists, while the prefecture estimated the number at 1,600. Around 1,600 police and gendarmes were deployed to manage the protest, at a one police for every protester ratio, as per official figures. The motorway project began in early 2023 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025.