Authorities in the French Caribbean overseas territory of Martinique are on full alert after several days of protests on the island linked to growing concerns about the cost of living and apparent inertia on the part of France in dealing with the lifeline issue.
The situation reached a boiling point over the weekend when hundreds of angry residents tried to break into the island’s lone airport and occupy the runway as they upped the pressure on authorities in Paris to do something about the rising cost of living in Martinique. The population is estimated at 350,000.
The protests forced the cancellation of flights, leaving about 1,000 passengers stranded as officials shuttered the airport and diverted flights to nearby Guadeloupe, also a French overseas territory.
More than a dozen police officers have been hurt during a week of unrest, including six who were hit by bullets. Police have reported one death so far.
Adding fuel to the fire, the government in France deployed the feared special anti-riot police to Martinique in the first such move in six decades, creating even greater levels of anger. Some mostly Afro-Martinican human rights activists have been clamoring for better living conditions and making attempts to reach out and engage with the 15-nation Caribbean Community as a way of garnering regional support for their plight
Residents of Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and other French territories in the Caribbean are treated as full-fledged French citizens with voting rights, but the persistent complaint is that no one in Paris listens to the clamor for improvement from these territories. They say prices for basics in the islands are up to 50% higher than mainland France and no one is doing anything about it.
The latest round of protests has come just three years after similar eruptions in Martinique and Guadeloupe over French mandates for compulsory vaccinations for health workers. Paris had also been pushing locals to receive the COVID vaccine because less than half of the population had made themselves available to be inoculated by health officials. As was the case in 2021, French authorities were forced to impose a curfew to quell the protests in an attempt to restore order.
Protest leaders say their anger is rooted in the fact that some items like milk and meats have increased by 40% in the last year while wages have remained unchanged. Meanwhile, Didier Laguerre, mayor of Fort-de-France, the Martinique capital, said during the weekend that inflation is indeed a cause for concern and too many people are struggling to cope.
“I understand the suffering and anger,” Laguerre said. “I know everyone’s impatience and the resignation of those who have lost hope for a long time.”
It is unclear if and when many stores that had been looted in recent days will reopen as tensions remain high and authorities expect the situation to flare up again.
Expressing concerns about American citizens on the island, the U.S. Embassy in nearby Barbados issued a travel advisory over the weekend, urging U.S. citizens in Martinique to check with local authorities regarding the current security situation, specific areas affected by the curfew, and whether any travel during the hours of the curfew could fall under one of the exceptions.
Noting the level of looting, arson attacks, roadblocks, and street demonstrations, the mission warned American citizens to avoid large public gatherings, maintain constant awareness of their surroundings, pay attention to changes to security in their area, and avoid wearing jewelry or displaying cash.
Schools and some governments were ordered closed as angry protesters set fire to several car parks and a few barricades.
