Mathieu Bock in Pointe-à-Pitre, edited by Gauthier Delomez 07h54, December 02, 2021

Overseas Minister Sébastien Lecornu was not unanimous during his visit to Guadeloupe.

The inhabitants and the unions regret a rapid visit of the minister on the island, which did not result in satisfactory proposals to ease the tensions.

REPORTING

A delicate coming.

Overseas Minister Sébastien Lecornu visited Guadeloupe then Martinique for three days to try to calm the situation in the Antilles islands, plagued by urban violence.

Caregivers, firefighters and part of the population still refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

According to the locals, the arrival of the minister did not have major advances.

Europe 1 went there.

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"A lack of respect", thunders a resident

In Guadeloupe, the inhabitants consider the visit to be too quick, sloppy, unnecessary or even disrespectful. Coming out of the supermarket, Myriam holds her half-filled shopping bag in her hand and chokes on the receipt. For her, if the minister's visit cannot solve everything, her quick visit to the island will not help matters. "I did some shopping: 118 euros. There is no meat, there are only six or seven items. We can no longer do it", she blows at the microphone of Europe 1 .

The Guadeloupean continues: "It's a hard period, but we support the movement, we understand it. With the Guadeloupeans, we have to take time to talk. We are not asking for a month, but three or four days. A minister who Perhaps a morning comes and leaves for Martinique. It is a lack of respect ", she affirms, fatalistic:" He settled everything by banging on the table, and then get rid of yourself ".

"It really has to stop"

Patrick, another inhabitant of the island, is counting on discussions between local elected officials and unions to get out of the crisis.

"The elected officials said since it is like that, we must take matters in hand, find solutions ourselves with the unions," he explains.

For him, it is urgent to solve the problems.

"We are fed up with roadblocks because I have not worked since the 18th (November, editor's note). There are young people in the street, it really has to stop," sighs the Guadeloupe.

If a first meeting is scheduled for Thursday, the unions are calling for an interministerial delegation so that the discussions go back to Paris.

Sébastien Lecornu "is not made for this position"

For the LKP collective, which brings together around fifty trade unions, associations, political and cultural organizations from Guadeloupe, Sébastien Lecornu's visit also brought nothing. The leader of the collective, Élie Domota, believes that the Minister of Overseas Territories is not made for this role. "He tried to play Zorro, but he never tried to understand what was really going on in Guadeloupe," he said on Europe 1.

"He gave the feeling of being someone of dialogue, open to discussion and negotiation, and what he said in his press conference is not at all what he told us when 'he met us, with this story of denouncing a crime on the police, "says Élie Domota.

"I think he understood things very badly (...). He is not made for this position. It is a casting error", tackles the leader of the LKP collective.

A visit which therefore leaves a bitter taste in Guadeloupe.