Carrying the voice of “a people who are on their feet”. Several thousand people marched in the streets of Paris on Sunday during a new mobilization against the high cost of living overseas.
Forming a long procession marked with the color red, symbol of the mobilization against the high cost of living overseas, the demonstrators, who came at the call of West Indian and Kanak associations and many from the overseas diaspora, left from the Place Denfert-Rochereau to rally the Ministry of Overseas Territories.
The procession quietly set off to the tunes of West Indian music after being encouraged by the screaming engines of around fifty motorcycles, stationed near the head of the demonstration. At the head of the parade walked Rodrigue Petitot, figure of the movement against the high cost of living in Martinique, and at the head of the Rally for the Protection of Afro-Caribbean Peoples and Resources (Rpprac), already present on Sunday during last Sunday's demonstration.
VideoRodrigue Petitot, the leader of the protest against the high cost of living in Martinique
“This time they have demonstrated that the people are up in arms and that things are not going to calm down unless we get real solutions,” said Rodrigue Petitot. “No band-aids on band-aids, this time it’s the moment where we have to sort everything out (…). We did not come to beg anything from anyone, we came to impose what is completely normal (…) legitimate,” he said.
Alignment with mainland prices
“Unfortunately, in what is happening to us, for too long the devil has had pity on us, that means that France gave us a French title, but it never gave us conditions as French people, and that is is really unfortunate,” he added.
André Bazin, president of the Ultramarin Doubout association, regretted “never being heard”. “Unfortunately we are forced to return to the streets once again.” The negotiations resulting from the mobilization which led to an agreement to lower the prices of around 6,000 food products changed nothing. “There are still 33,000 products on which we can apply equalization. (…) The Rpprac called for all food to be aligned with the French price. What is in these words that is incomprehensible to the French authorities? » he asked.
“There, we are not in a phase of revolt, we are still in a phase where we are asking that our human rights be respected,” claims André Bazin.
Not far from him, Fred Catorc came to support his “compatriots”. This employee in schools in Île-de-France has family in the West Indies, he would like to return there permanently when he retires, he explains, red cap on his head. “We have to fight for them here. To make the government understand that things must be done. They must realize that there is a people who are suffering,” he defended.
Recently retired from the RATP, Marie-France Ravenel rails against “the high cost of living there. Very dear.” “It’s amazing,” breathes this woman wearing a red coat. “A stupid thing, for example, when you send a package to a parent, they have to pay fees to collect the package,” says this native of Martinique, criticizing “reasons of colonialism and taxes”.
Since September, Martinique has been affected by a movement against the high cost of living which has degenerated with urban riots and violence, mainly at night.
