Rodrigue Petitot, one of the leaders of the mobilization against the high cost of living in Martinique, was placed in police custody on Tuesday November 12, 2024 in Fort-de-France, we learnedAFP of the parquet. Nicknamed “the R”, the man is at the head of the Rally for the Protection of Afro-Caribbean Peoples and Resources (RPPRAC) at the initiative of the protest movement, of which he has become the spokesperson.
Rodrigue Petitot, known as “the R”, was placed in police custody at the central police station of the capital of the island following a complaint for home invasion and acts of intimidation against people practicing a public function, according to the same source. He is accused of having entered, Monday evening, the prefectural residence in the upscale Didier district of Fort-de-France in the company of three other people. The goal was to obtain an interview with the Minister of Overseas Territories, François-Noël Buffet, currently visiting Martinique.
Read also: PORTRAIT. In Martinique, who is Rodrigue Petitot, alias “Le R”, popular and controversial figure
An “unacceptable, unimaginable, intolerable” attitude
The prefect of Martinique, Jean Christophe Bouvier, in person physically opposed the entry of the president of the RPPRAC into the residence. The attitude of the collective leaders is “unacceptable, unimaginable, intolerable”, castigated the prefect.
For his part, the secretary of the RPPRAC, Aude Goussard, spoke to local radio RCI : “We are waiting for “the R” to be released. I fear this evening a new night of disturbances which will be the responsibility of the prefect and the minister. »
As soon as Rodrigue Petitot's arrest was announced, around a hundred people gathered in front of the Fort-de-France police station to demand his release, a journalist from theAFP on site. According to the Martinique Transport Authority, a flaming roadblock was erected on Avenue Maurice-Bishop in the Sainte-Thérèse district where Rodrigue Petitot says he lives. Public transport in the center of the island has been suspended.
The minister said he was “willing to meet everyone”
Arriving Monday evening in Martinique for four days, the Minister of Overseas Territories, François-Noël Buffet, said he “willing to meet everyone” on the island, including the leaders of the RPPRAC, who returned to the department on Monday after a ten-day stay in Paris to organize demonstrations.
Read also: In Martinique, Buffet mentions the January date for a drop in the prices of basic necessities
Since September, Martinique has been affected by a movement against the high cost of living. A mobilization which degenerated into urban violence, mainly at night. According to figures from the prefecture, more than 230 vehicles were deliberately burned and dozens of commercial premises were set on fire, vandalized or looted.
