On Monday morning, a group of radical environmentalists descended upon the site of a proposed Catholic center in Saint-Pierre-de-Colombier, a small town 175km north of Montpelier in southern France. They were met by an assembly of nuns protecting the area, and things almost immediately got heated.
The moment one nun took matters into her own hands when one eco-warrior attempted to enter the construction site was caught on camera, and has since gone viral.
In the clip, a man carrying what appear to be segments of pipe in each hand tries to run onto the patch of dirt selected for the new Catholic center. His attempts are thwarted, however, by one of the nuns.
Dressed in a long skirt, head covering, and hiking boots, the sister comes seemingly out of nowhere and, in a Hail Mary play, tackles him to the ground.
They both fall into the dirt pit, where she holds him down for a moment, before getting up to confront one of his buddies as he stomps on building materials.
Her takedown was given the thumbs up by users on X, one of whom compared her to South African rugby star Cheslin Kolbe, who just hours before had laid his body on the line to secure victory over France in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
According to France3, planning for the construction of the Catholic center began in 2018, and from day one, it was controversial. Environmental groups, including the Amies de la Bourges, have voiced their opposition, citing the fact that the site is the habitat of a protected species as determined by the French Biodiversity Office.
"We want to defend agricultural land that could be used for future generations," Amies de la Bourges leader Sylvain Herenguel said. "We need to put things back on track and enforce environmental law."
Construction was paused in 2020 and only restarted at the end of 2022, however struggles continue as protestors show no sign of letting up.
The moment one nun took matters into her own hands when one eco-warrior attempted to enter the construction site was caught on camera, and has since gone viral.
In the clip, a man carrying what appear to be segments of pipe in each hand tries to run onto the patch of dirt selected for the new Catholic center. His attempts are thwarted, however, by one of the nuns.
Dressed in a long skirt, head covering, and hiking boots, the sister comes seemingly out of nowhere and, in a Hail Mary play, tackles him to the ground.
They both fall into the dirt pit, where she holds him down for a moment, before getting up to confront one of his buddies as he stomps on building materials.
Her takedown was given the thumbs up by users on X, one of whom compared her to South African rugby star Cheslin Kolbe, who just hours before had laid his body on the line to secure victory over France in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
According to France3, planning for the construction of the Catholic center began in 2018, and from day one, it was controversial. Environmental groups, including the Amies de la Bourges, have voiced their opposition, citing the fact that the site is the habitat of a protected species as determined by the French Biodiversity Office.
"We want to defend agricultural land that could be used for future generations," Amies de la Bourges leader Sylvain Herenguel said. "We need to put things back on track and enforce environmental law."
Construction was paused in 2020 and only restarted at the end of 2022, however struggles continue as protestors show no sign of letting up.
