During the last presidential election, the Insoumis had obtained 24% of the votes in the first round in Guadeloupe, only preceded by Emmanuel Macron (30%).

Convinced that he can now pass in front of the Head of State, he came to show that he is in phase with the mistrust of many Guadeloupeans against the health policy of the government.

"A third of the hospital caregivers are threatened with suspension on December 31," summed up a trade unionist welcoming Jean-Luc Mélenchon, accompanied by the president of the LFI group of deputies Mathilde Panot and MEP Manuel Bompard, on the picket line around the hospital.

"I, who am experienced in public management, this is the first time that I see such chaos, such a stubborn and irresponsible refusal" on the part of the authorities, retorted the Insubordinate.

Mr. Mélenchon exchanged with several caregivers while walking in the middle of the stands of the strikers.

Catherine, an administrative executive, for example confided to him her dismay at the complaints of the Public Treasury on her October salary.

Several of them also told of their mistrust of the vaccine, fueled by the health scandal of chlordecone.

The pesticide was banned in France in 1990 but continued to be authorized in the banana fields of Martinique and Guadeloupe by ministerial exemption until 1993, contaminating more than 90% of the adult population in Guadeloupe and Martinique.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon on December 15, 2021 on the picket line in front of Pointe-à-Pitre hospital, in Guadeloupe Christophe ARCHAMBAULT AFP

Precautions

"The State has always been lying to us, on water management, on chlordecone, on sargassum", toxic algae, denounced Elie Domota, spokesperson for the LKP collective.

Mr. Domota was part of the delegation Tuesday which was to parley with elected officials, in vain.

"Thank you for coming, for taking notes. Yesterday we had an appointment with deputies, senators, elected officials, and they all got rid of themselves," he lamented.

The rebellious candidate took a number of assumed "precautions".

"It's not for me to tell you what to do, I know the precautions to be taken against a mass movement," he said.

"I am not going to tell you a story, I am vaccinated," he also said.

With journalists, Jean-Luc Mélenchon was careful not to flatter certain unfounded theories on vaccines: "We can deplore it but we do not administer people as things."

Jean-Luc Mélenchon discusses with Elie Domota, spokesperson for the LKP collective, on December 15, 2021 on the picket line in front of Pointe-à-Pitre hospital, in Guadeloupe Christophe ARCHAMBAULT AFP

According to him, "the origin of mistrust is chlordecone, the lie (of the authorities) is in the body of people. To convince is therefore more difficult, we must not go there suddenly (whip, Editor's note) . Here it is Guadeloupe, people do not let themselves be subdued, "he exclaimed, triggering the hilarious approval of a nurse.

For Mathilde Panot, the health issue is added to the problems of resources in the school, the hospital, the water and sanitation networks, etc.

Another official said she was shocked that we "associate our mistrust with superstition".

"It's called the colonial spirit!", Cracked Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

"I am happy with his coming, I realize that it is he and his teams who defend us the best, who know our issues the best," Catherine, the administrative manager, told AFP.

"He is the only one who opens his mouth. We need a candidate who listens to the popular masses," said Véronique Courtois, hospital worker.

"I hesitate to vote for him, he expresses himself well ... But it would not be a blank check, as we did a bit with Macron," said another striker.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon promised that his coming had a concrete meaning: "I organize myself according to the victory, to be able to act from the day after my election and not just start to think".

© 2021 AFP