Curfew and ban on demonstrations in Martinique after violence

Photo: Ed Jones Agence France-Presse Since September, the island has been experiencing a movement against the high cost of living, a recurring cause of protests in the French Antilles, which has degenerated into urban violence. Here we see cars burned in Fort-de-France on September 23.

Karl Laurand – Agence France-Presse and Thibault Marchand – Agence France-Presse respectively in Fort-de-France and Paris

Published at 15:25

• Americas

Martinique is licking its wounds on Thursday after a night of chaos marked by looting, fires and violence that left 26 police officers and gendarmes injured, prompting the prefect of this French island in the Antilles to declare a curfew and ban demonstrations.

A man was shot dead in circumstances that are still unclear. According to the Martinique prefecture, he was found injured by gendarmes who were intervening against the looting of a shopping center and died in hospital.

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Since September, the island has been experiencing a movement against the high cost of living, a recurring cause of protests in the French Antilles, which has degenerated into urban violence.

The situation had calmed down in recent weeks, but incidents broke out on Monday between police officers and activists who were holding a blockade in Lamentin, near Fort-de-France, the capital of Martinique.

Since then, urban violence has once again been reported every night. As a result, the island's prefect, Jean-Christophe Bouvier, will decree a curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Thursday and a ban on gatherings and demonstrations throughout the territory, a prefectural source told AFP.

Twelve gendarmes were injured during the night from Wednesday to Thursday, “including one by gunshot,” the prefectural source told AFP. A police source reported 14 slightly injured police officers and six arrests.

No fewer than 400 vehicles were burned, according to the same source, with a huge parking lot housing new cars imported to Martinique having gone up in smoke.

Schools closed

The French Minister for Overseas Territories, François-Noël Buffet, condemned the violence of the night in a press release and called for “responsibility and calm”.

“He urges citizens to avoid any escalation of violence and to favor dialogue”, adds the press release while a fifth round table against the high cost of living began Thursday morning in the premises of the Territorial Collectivity of Martinique (CTM).

A municipal police building set on fire in a working-class neighborhood in Fort-de-France, burnt-out carcasses blocking roundabouts, warehouses gone up in smoke… On Thursday morning, Martinique was licking its wounds. Traffic remained very difficult on the city’s ring road.

The island’s schools remained closed on Thursday, the Martinique rectorate told AFP.

The movement against the high cost of living was launched in early September by the Rally for the Protection of Afro-Caribbean Peoples and Resources (RPPRAC), a citizens’ collective, which is demanding that food prices, which are 40% more expensive in Martinique, be aligned with mainland France.