Martinique licks its wounds Thursday after a night of chaos marked by looting, fires and violence which left 26 police and gendarmes injured, pushing the island’s prefect to decree a curfew and a ban on demonstrations.
A man was also shot and killed in still undetermined circumstances: he was found by the gendarmes who were intervening against the looting of a shopping center and died in hospital, according to the Martinique prefecture.
The situation had calmed down in recent weeks but incidents broke out on Monday between the CRS and activists who were carrying out a blocking action against the high cost of living in Lamentin, near Fort-de-France.
Since then, urban violence has been recorded again every night. As a result, the prefect of the island Jean-Christophe Bouvier has decreed today, Thursday, October 10, a curfew from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. and a ban on gatherings and demonstrations throughout the territory.
12 gendarmes injured
Twelve gendarmes were injured during the night from Wednesday to Thursday “including one by gunshot”, this prefectural source told AFP. A police source reports 14 CRS8 police officers slightly injured and six arrests.
No fewer than 400 vehicles were burned, according to the same source, with a huge parking lot housing new cars imported into Martinique going up in smoke.
The Minister of Overseas Territories, François-Noël Buffet, condemned the violence of the night in a press release and called for “responsibility and appeasement”.
“He urges citizens to avoid any escalation of violence and to favor dialogue,” adds the press release as a fifth round table against the high cost of living began in the premises of the Territorial Collectivity of Martinique (CTM).
Source : SUD RADIO
