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The force arrived this weekend after the local representative of
France’s central government in its overseas territory said in a
statement that protests were forbidden in the municipalities of
Fort-de-France, Le Lamentin, Ducos and Le Robert until Monday.
The government also issued a curfew.
The restrictions came after violent protests broke out on the
island last week over the high cost of living, with gunfire
injuring at least six police officers and one civilian. Police
launched tear gas and government officials said several stores
were also looted.
Officials said the bans were meant "to put an end to the
violence and damage committed at gatherings, as well as to the
numerous obstacles to daily life and freedom of movement that
penalize the entire population, particularly at weekends.”
But the measure was met by defiance by many on the island, with
massive peaceful protests breaking out Saturday night. Videos
from local media show crowds of thousands peacefully walking
along highways overnight banging on drums and waiving flags.
As protests wound on without violence, the force of French
anti-riot police arrived on the island, and were staying at a
hotel in Fort-de-France on Sunday. It wasn't immediately clear
how many were sent.
The elite riot police, known as the Companies for Republican
Security, were banned in the French territory following bloody
riots in December 1959. The unit had been accused of using
disproportionate force against protesters, ending in the deaths
of a number of young demonstrators. The force is rarely deployed
in French territories in the Caribbean, but was called on during
riots and strikes in Guadeloupe in 2009.
Martinique's leaders requested the forces amid the recent
protests in an historic shift for the island, and one met with a
sharp rejection by some in the territory.
Béatrice Bellay, a representative of the socialist party on the
island, blasted the move, saying: “Martinique is not in a civil
war, it is a social war." She called for an “open and
transparent dialogue” between protesters and the government.
“This measure ... only serves to aggravate tensions and distract
attention from the legitimate demands of the people of
Martinique,” she wrote in a statement Sunday.
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