Not everyone will be present at the Parisian march against the high cost of living in the West Indies this Sunday, but their thoughts will be with the demonstrators. Out of sight, close to the heart. This is how we could summarize the feeling shared by several athletes or former athletes from overseas departments, where the cost of living is increasingly expensive, 40% more than in mainland France, on average.
“People don’t have to choose between a pack of diapers, a pack of milk and a pack of water,” protests former sprinter Maguy Nestoret, now high performance advisor to the National Sports Agency. sport. It was she who, by calling Lilian Thuram and Marie-José Pérec on Friday evening, initiated this sports movement.
“I asked them how we could show that the sports movement was in solidarity with the West Indians. This is where the idea of publishing a message on social networks was born,” explains the Martinican, who posted on Instagram a text written with the 1998 world champion and the three-time Olympic champion in support of the anti-life movement. expensive and the march of this November 10.
A message shared numerous times by athletes like Ronny Turiaf, Sandrine Gruda and Marcus Thuram. “We wanted to show that even if we weren’t all physically present, there was still this solidarity. And that the world of sport is not above ground! Everyone must feel concerned,” continues the former French 200m champion, who is delighted to see sportsmen and women who are not necessarily from the West Indies relaying this text, like Marie Patouillet or Estelle Mossely.
“Athletes are sensitive to what is happening at home”
If several West Indian athletes or those of West Indian origin have already publicly shown their support for the movement against the high cost of living, such as Thierry Henry on the set of CBS Sports, Wendie Renard in an interview or even Teddy Riner, this is the first time that a union is created between figures of West Indian sport. “People give us feedback. They are happy to see that they are not alone and that even if many have succeeded and are in Paris, they are sensitive to what is happening at home. Some of their friends and family members live there and are subjected to these prices which are just indecent. »
Peaceful demonstrations
Maguy Nestoret, who participated in the first march in Paris, went to her home in Martinique last week. “The government must realize the social injustice that is taking place. We did another march, which was once again peaceful, while people here told me it was dangerous to go there,” she remembers.
“Even if there is collateral damage, like in many demonstrations, people are very calm. They are just angry. But they don’t ask for charity. They just want to be considered as full-fledged French people, who can do their shopping at decent prices,” continues Maguy Nestoret, who will be in Denfert-Rochereau at 1 p.m. for the start of the solidarity march against the high cost of living.
