The situation is still tense in the French Antilles. The protest movement against the vaccine obligation continues, sometimes interspersed with violence against the police. In Martinique, road blockades continue.
with our special envoy to the West Indies, Pierre Olivier
Filter dams in Martinique are more numerous than in Guadeloupe. There are several dozen of them on the roads of the island without it being possible to count them all. Huge queues are created on the roads, including on the main axes and when motorists arrive in front of a roadblock, they must turn around. Only caregivers, ambulances and firefighters can pass.
The main demand is exactly the same as in Guadeloupe: the outright withdrawal of the vaccine obligation. Some strikers also say they are ready to negotiate: “ We ask that the préfet and the ARS sit down around a table to negotiate. We are not fools. We live in poverty! We are begging! We are not asking for violence. We don’t want violence, we want peace and we want to negotiate. “
The inter-union plans to toughen up its tone
The authorities would also be ready for dialogue, in this island shaken like its neighbor Guadeloupe by a challenge to the mandatory anti-Covid vaccine, which turns violent in some neighborhoods. But pending discussions with local elected officials, Martinique continues to idle. The inter-union which launched the blockades on Monday even plans to toughen up the tone.
The unions have all the same warned that they do not intend to lower their guard. ” If until now the State has taken small steps, it is thanks to the balance of power », Observed Gabriel Jean-Marie, secretary general of the CGTM. The dams could therefore persist.
► To read also: The vaccine obligation, catalyst of an explosive social situation in the French Antilles