Three members of the association at the origin of the mobilization against the high cost of living in Martinique were arrested Thursday, November 21, ten days after their irruption into the prefect's residence during a ministerial visit, the Fort-de prosecutor's office said on Thursday. -France at Agence France-Presse (AFP).
These three people “were taken into custody” Thursday for “counts of home invasion [intrusion dans la résidence préfectorale]invasion of privacy and acts of intimidation »Odile de Fritsch, the deputy public prosecutor of Fort-de-France, told AFP.
The facts with which they are accused were “committed on November 11, 2024 in Fort-de-France”specified the magistrate, confirming that Gwladys Roger, the treasurer of the Rally for the Protection of Afro-Caribbean Peoples and Resources (RPPRAC), was among these three arrested.
A few hours after the arrival of the Overseas Minister, François-Noël Buffet, after two months of tensions due to the high cost of living on the island, the leader of the RPPRAC Rodrigue Petitot and three members of the collective burst into the residence of the prefect and demanded to meet the minister. The prefect of Martinique, Jean-Christophe Bouvier, intervened and prevented this meeting.
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“Totally disproportionate” means
Mr. Petitot was arrested the day after the incident and then placed under judicial supervision after forty-eight hours in police custody. The Fort-de-France criminal court postponed its trial until January 21.
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In a press release, the RPPRAC denounced Thursday the arrest of its three members. “Without there having been prior summons”the police proceeded “to heavy-handed arrests and searches of the homes of members of the RPPRAC, in particular that of Gwladys Roger, treasurer”he indicated.
Ils “are not fugitives”adds the press release, which denounces “the instrumentalization of justice” and the use of means “totally disproportionate, [qui] aim to discredit the members of the association”.
Riots broke out several times on the sidelines of the mobilization against the high cost of living launched at the beginning of September by the RPPRAC in Martinique, where food products are on average 40% more expensive than in France, according to the National Institute statistics and economic studies.
According to the prefecture, more than 230 vehicles were burned and dozens of commercial premises were set on fire, vandalized or looted.
