French Police Fire Tear Gas to Disperse Protesters Today

French media reported today, Saturday, that law enforcement personnel fired tear gas canisters and water cannons to disperse the demonstrators in the French city of Rennes.

The French newspaper "Quest" reported that "the participants in the demonstration demanded that measures be taken to solve the problem of climate change, against the backdrop of the climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland."

The Quest added that the police tried to disperse the rioters using tear gas and water cannons after being warned.

The newspaper quoted the police as saying that at least 1.2 thousand people participated in the demonstration, and they were joined by the anti-fascists and the yellow vests.

It is worth noting that demonstrations calling for more ambitious measures to combat climate change were organized in Paris and other cities last Sunday.

The protests come after the French National Assembly (parliament) voted this week on a climate bill aimed at curbing global warming that environmental activists say is not enough.

The French Greenpeace organization (Greenpeace) denounced what it called "the government's refusal to take action for the climate".

Activists accuse President Emmanuel Macron, who has been very vocal about his support for action on climate change, of being the weakest of a set of measures initially proposed by a panel of 150 experts who have worked for months on the issue.

France's "Journal du Dimanche" newspaper reported on Sunday that there could be no referendum to add the imperative to preserve the environment in the French constitution, something Macron had promised, and the change would require a parliamentary vote.

The French National Assembly, where Macron has a majority, largely agreed on last March, but no deal was reached with the Senate, where the conservative Republican Party has a majority.

Macron has also worked to achieve the European Union's 2030 target to reduce greenhouse gases by at least 55 percent, compared to 1990 levels - up from the previous 40 percent target.