By Kimberly Ramkhalawan
kramkhalawan@caribmagplus.com
November 30, 2021
France is said to be deploying several troupes in light of riots ongoing in its territory Guadelope and Martinique over COVID-19 Restrictions laid out in the nation.
Police reinforcements, as well as an Elite SWAT team were dispatched after heated protests mounted on the island in the last two weeks.
The news is said to have also prompted France to finally consider giving some autonomy to Guadeloupe. The riots are a mix of the people’s frustration with coronavirus restrictions and a lagging economy on the Caribbean island.
According to France TV during a 16-minute televised address on Friday night, the French minister for overseas affairs, Sebastien Lecornu, said “the government was ready to talk about” autonomy for the island.
The address followed intense rioting on the island and fires on city street.
A coalition of 17 trade union organizations launched a general strike this month in protest of the COVID-19 curbs, calling for salary increases and lower gas prices. Shots also were fired at police last week in Martinique.
Martinique and Guadeloupe, islands of 375,000 and 400,000 people, respectively, are considered formal parts of France whose inhabitants hold French citizenship and are allocated representation in the French National Assembly. In recent years, the territories have been complaining of suffering higher poverty and unemployment rates than mainland France, while several protests over the years have put a spotlight on local anger over broader issues with the French government.