Violent protest erupts in Martinique due to high cost of living

The island of French Caribbean, Martinique, is witnessing a massive protest significantly in the parts of its capital, Fort-de-France, which turned violent. The reason for the escalating protest is the increasing cost of living, which is more than the regular earnings of the citizens.

The reports recorded high casualties in the protest in Martinique in which protestors didn’t stay back on assaults, but firearms were also used. In the violence, more than fourteen people were injured severely. Among the injured people, eleven were the on-duty policemen who suffered the attacks.

Many disturbing scenes from the capital of Martinique were circulated on social platforms, where vehicles were engulfed in fire and destroyed buildings. The law protection authorities took an instant charge after the protest was initiated and are still serving on the ground.

Heavily-geared riot policemen are deployed by the authorities to take control of the situation and neutralize the violent protest. The dedicated police teams are seen marching towards the protests in the circulated glimpses, where they are facing protestors.

While keeping note of the alarming scenario on the island, the government officials of Martinique ordered a curfew. The curfew is imposed on the hotspots of the protest in the capital, which is fixed in the dark hours of 09:00 pm to 05:00 am.

Jean-Christophe Bouvier, Martinique’s France-appointed prefect, disclosed that the curfew is intended to continue till 23 September. The focus of the officials with this step is to marginalize the protestors and to protect the commons along with businesses while restoring law and order.

The protestors on the streets of Martinique are destroying public and private properties, including outlets of major businesses like McDonald’s. It is said that the damages caused by the protestors during the current violence will take several months and funds to rebuild.

Not just the businesses and properties but the violence in Martinique is also creating issues for the working class people. The population that earns daily for the living are suffering the most from this disturbance.

However, the protestors are firmly determined over their cause. The people who are involved in the protests or are supporting them say they are forced to come on the streets. As per their views, government officials are responsible for the high cost of living.

Protestors also say that the authorities turned a blind eye to the conditions of the commons. As per the data of French national statistics, the people of Martinique get food around 30 to 42 percent more expensive than mainland France.

It is not like the high-level authorities are not aware of the situation on the ground. Gérald Darmanin, France’s interior minister, said last year in his statement that officials are working to tackle the problem. Anyhow, the people in Martinique are still struggling for their everyday needs.

The business and cultural attache for the Saint Lucia consulate in Martinique, Shazi Chalon, shared his words on the issue and said, “Martinique is supposed to be a department of France, which means that the people here are supposed to be on the same level with France.”

He continued, “But there are many people who look at it differently and see that there is a huge disparity in the manner in which France manages Martinique, in the sense that they believe that in a majority black country, all of the people who hold the highest positions here are from France.”

He added, “You have the local white population who, some of them whose ancestors and grandparents, way back to slavery days, owned plantations, who today wield most of the economic power in Martinique, and own most of the agricultural land, own most of the business sector as well.”