One dead, an airport invaded, a thousand diverted passengers… Martinique was marked by a new night of violence on October 10.
Since September, the Caribbean island has been in the grip of a mobilization against the high cost of living initiated by a movement called Rally for the Protection of Afro-Caribbean Peoples and Resources (RPPRAC). The residents would like an alignment of the prices of food products in France, displayed 40% more expensive in Martinique.
This movement sometimes degenerates with acts of urban violence. Despite the 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew imposed by the island’s prefect, looting of stores, scenes of war and urban guerrillas are repeated every night. Burning roadblocks block certain roads. This week, twelve gendarmes were injured.
Everything went up a notch on Thursday October 10 with the death of a young man by firearm around 3 a.m. near Fort-de-France. The shooting did not come from the police, affirmed the prefecture. One of the hypotheses at this stage: a dispute, a settling of scores between rioters during the sharing of loot. Police discovered the injured man in a shopping center while looting was in progress. He later died in hospital.
Airport closed, planes diverted
On Thursday afternoon, the airport was notably targeted and had to close its doors. Around a hundred hooded people invaded the terminal and the runways. Fewer and completely overwhelmedthe police tried to contain them using tear gas and stun grenades.
The clashes continued in the airport, amid suitcases and panicked tourists like Laurent. “It was crazy, something I’ve never seen in my life”the man told RTL. Evoking “extreme violence”. He took refuge “inside the terminal” and when he left, “it was chaos”. With “quite a few burned cars” in the parking lot.
This intrusion, against a backdrop of rumors of reinforcements of 300-350 police officersdenied by the prefecture, caused the diversion to Guadeloupe of three planes (i.e. a thousand passengers) and the cancellation of all flights scheduled for Thursday evening departing from and arriving at Martinique-Aimé airport. Cesaire.
For the moment, there is no announcement of reinforcement (this is under study). Today, the government is seeking to delay while avoiding conflagration and contagion on the neighboring island, Guadeloupe. While the police are unable to cope with the situation, according to Jean-Christophe Couvy.
For the national secretary of the UN1TÉ police union, the police officers “have patched up shields”: “they do not even have individual policing helmets. The vehicles are from another age without air conditioning inside . They need reinforcement and above all for the State to be at their side“.
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