The defendants, who are being tried separately in rapid-succession hearings this week, are the first among some 40 people who are facing court action over the show of civil disobedience at Mormont hill, the site of a quarry owned by Swiss-French construction materials company Lafarge Holcim located about 25 kilometers (15 miles) north of Lausanne.
The legal showdown is the latest case in
Protesters against plans to expand the quarry had set up a makeshift campsite and squatted an abandoned house in the area before more than 100 police in riot gear, firing tear gas and rubber bullets, on
On Monday, dozens of activists turned out outside the courtroom in the lakeside town of Nyon with banners or seated on the ground to support the defendants, who face up to six months in prison.
The trial is expected to run thorough Wednesday.
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