Riot police moved into the western French city of Nantes on Saturday, clashing with hundreds of anarchists who broke shop windows, destroyed bus stops, and pillaged the city center.
At least eight police officers were hospitalized after violent confrontations with up to 1,000 "radicals," the prefecture of the Loire-Atlantique region said. Fourteen people were detained. The rioters had joined about 20,000 people protesting plans to build a regional airport. Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the attackers.
Interior Minister Manuel Valls said protesters were waging an "urban guerrilla" campaign and were "very violent."
Opposition to the airport, a pet project of Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, has brought together an unlikely alliance of farmers, ecologists, and anarchists. - AP