A general strike has been called in Martinique on Monday as they joined the neighboring French overseas territory of Guadeloupe in calling for an end to obligatory vaccination for health workers.
According to the Associated Press, the protests were called for by unions to denounce France’s COVID-19 health pass, which is required to access restaurants and cafes, cultural venues, sport arenas and long-distance travel. Demonstrators were also protesting France’s mandatory vaccinations for health care workers. In recent days, they broadened their demands to include a general salary increase, higher unemployment benefits and the hiring of more teachers.
Official figures show that in Martinique there have been 703 deaths and 44, 429 positive cases linked to the virus, while Guadeloupe has recorded 822 deaths and 54, 854 infections.
The French administration of Paris has sent elite police and counter-terrorism officers to Guadeloupe over the weekend in a bid to quell the violence.
Vaccination rates in France’s overseas territories, in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and the Pacific, have generally been far lower than those on the mainland and there has been repeated unrest over anti-virus measures.
Protests in Guadeloupe broke out after an announcement that COVID-19 vaccines would be mandatory for all healthcare workers. On Sunday, police arrested 38 people after curfew violators looted and torched shops and pharmacies, and two security forces were injured.
Local prosecutor Patrick Desjardins said at least 30 people will appear in court for allegedly participating in the unrest.
President Emmanuel Macron is urging local politicians not to mix the pressing issue of the pandemic with colonial-era grievances and also longstanding complaints the territory is economically neglected by Paris.
“We will not give in to lies, distorting of information and the exploitation by some people of this situation,” he told reporters, describing the situation as “very explosive.”
“We do not play with health and we will not let the health of the French be played with for the sake of political infighting,” he added.
Prime Minister Jean Castex, Overseas Territories Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Health Minister Olivier Veran are due to hold an emergency meeting with Guadeloupe lawmakers to discuss the situation on the island.
The barricades had impeded traffic, forcing the closure of schools on Guadeloupe’s main island on Monday, the education ministry said.
A dusk-to-dawn curfew from 6:00 pm to 5:00 am (local time) is currently set to last until Tuesday and Guadeloupe’s main trade union, the Union Générale des Travailleurs de Guadeloupe (French: General Union of Guadeloupe Workers) has called for continued protests.
CMC
