In the West Indies, situation still tense on the last day of Sébastien Lecornu's visit

Woman walking in front of an abandoned car used as a barricade after the unrest sparked by the Covid-19 curbs in Shoelcher, Martinique (Image illustration).

REUTERS - RICARDO ARDUENGO

Text by: RFI Follow

4 min

Attempted fire at a town hall in Guadeloupe, roadblocks in Martinique and Saint-Martin ... The situation was still tense in the French Antilles on the last day of Sébastien Lecornu's visit.

The Minister of Overseas Territories was open to the application of the vaccination obligation, already postponed to December 31.

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In Fort-de-France, the outcome was different, the member of the government showing himself open to an " 

adaptation of the application of the law

 " of the vaccination obligation, which was initially to apply on November 15 in the West Indies , day when the general strike began in Guadeloupe.

 Born from the refusal of this vaccination obligation for caregivers and firefighters, the movement has spread to political and social demands, in particular against the high cost of living, causing violence, looting and fires and reaching Martinique where the protest began on November 22.

The two islands are placed under curfew.

►Also read: France: the Minister of Overseas Territories in the West Indies to try to refocus the debate

 Friday, Sébastien Lecornu and his colleague from Health Olivier Véran had announced to postpone to December 31, 2021 the " 

finalization of the implementation of the vaccine obligation

 " for Guadeloupe and Martinique.

" 

I do not see how on December 31, we will be able to accept the vaccination obligation as it is today

 ", stressed Tuesday at the exit of the meeting Serge Letchimy, president of the executive council of Martinique, because " 

we do not 'will not reach a level that allows continuity of care

 '.

" 

The minister understood that our specificity must be taken into account in this question of compulsory vaccination

 ", rejoiced Bertrand Cambusy, general secretary of the CSTM,

union at the origin of the call for a

general

strike

, who spoke as spokesperson for the intersyndicale.

Dams and burnt cars

Before the meeting, around 120 people had gathered in front of the prefecture, after a relatively calm night on the island. Dams were erected, however, especially on the highway, cutting the island in two, and a postal processing center located in a district of Fort-de-France was vandalized, said La Poste, which deplores the deterioration of 'part of the packages. We saw cars burned and overturned on a roadblock at the roundabout of Mahault, in the town of Lamentin, with about ten people present.

 In Guadeloupe, the town hall of Basse-Terre was the target of an outbreak of fire, which was quickly brought under control. In the same sector, the prefecture has announced that it will ban gatherings of more than six people in Rivière-des-Pères, where the gendarmes have raised a roadblock. " 

Dams are currently installed on the roads of Guadeloupe

 ", however indicated the prefecture in the same

press

release. Earlier in the day, the access to Mare-Gaillard on Grande-Terre, between Le Gosier and Saint-François, was again completely blocked by a dam even though it had been clear for several days.

And in Baie-Mahault, the situation was uncertain in the vast commercial area of ​​Jarry that the police were trying to secure, the day after Sébastien Lecornu announced the dispatch of a squadron of 70 mobile gendarmes and 10 additional GIGN members. Guadeloupe elected officials announced Tuesday in a press release that they had contacted the " 

collective of organizations in struggle

 " to " 

determine the terms of opening negotiations between all the parties

 ". The CCI of Guadeloupe, deploring a " 

heavy toll

 " from the world of work, also called "

 to create the conditions for a return to the negotiating table for a rapid settlement of this disastrous conflict 

", in a press release.

Decrease in fuels and gas

In Saint-Martin, another French territory in the West Indies which has been facing a social movement for a few weeks, roadblocks again disrupted traffic on Tuesday after three weeks of lull, and businesses were attacked.

In Paris, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin reaffirmed the government's position of refusing to “ 

debate with people 

” refusing to condemn violence against the police.

At the same time, the prefecture of Guadeloupe announced the monthly revision of the prices of fuels and gas, one of the objects of the social movement: super unleaded up by two cents per liter, diesel down by two cents, maximum price of 'a bottle of gas down 1.26 euros.

The prefecture of Martinique had announced identical developments on Monday.

(

with AFP

)

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