A general strike to welcome the president: after Mayotte and a hook by the Scattered Islands, Emmanuel Macron arrived Wednesday afternoon in an island of Reunion always in situation of acute social crisis, one year after the movement of "yellow vests" .

"It is in Reunion that the crisis of #giletsjaunes is the most expressed. This anger is the difficulties of everyday life. I want to say to the people of Reunion that the government is committed to providing concrete answers, you can count on me. # Macronlareunionpic.twitter.com / Z487eedq85

- Jean-Rémi Baudot (@jrbaudot) October 23, 2019

For the head of state, who continues his journey in the Indian Ocean with a stopover of nearly three days in Reunion, the major mobilization of "yellow vests" in November 2018 is the result of "anger that expressed itself (...) on the difficulties of everyday life ". But "the government is fully engaged with the elected" to "provide concrete solutions," he assured on his arrival on the island, however, saying that "on the expensive life, there is no recipe miracle". In particular, "reinvest in economic development and job creation", "provide concrete solutions".

The head of state was expected around the airport by a hundred people responding to all the unions in Reunion, who launched a general strike Thursday to denounce "the social situation of Reunion". With the throwing of bottles and stones by demonstrators, the police responded by firing tear gas.

40% of the population below the poverty line

In this territory of more than 850,000 inhabitants, 40% of the population lives below the poverty line, the unemployment rate reaches 24%, and even 42% among young people. The cost of living for an average Reunion household budget is 7.1% higher than in France, according to INSEE, while Reunion's median income is 30% below the national level (AFD, 2015). After a record inflation in 2018 (+ 1.8%), prices are still rising in 2019 (+ 0.6% since the beginning of the year). "We were counting our pennies before the 'yellow vests', we count them even more now," says Kévin, who participated in the movement a year ago. "The situation is not easy, there is a doubt that has settled on public action in the broad sense," he said.

One of the responses mentioned by the Head of State is the establishment of a "Choose Reunion", economic forum in the presence of fifty major French and foreign investors, to enhance the attractiveness of the territory and "project Reunion's economic actors" to neighboring regions, southern Africa and the Indian sub-continent.

"This type of forum can bring together business leaders, investors and public stakeholders to promote the assets of the island with concrete projects that will be announced," says the Elysee.

During his stay, which will end on Friday, the president, accompanied notably by the ministers of Economy, Labor and Agriculture, should meet Thursday job seekers in a local mission of Saint-Paul, meet with participants in the new "citizen representations" set up after the "yellow vests" crisis, and picnicking with representatives of the local agricultural production sectors in Petite-île, in the south of the island . "I will have very strong messages on agriculture and employment," assured the head of state.