In Benin, after being prevented and dispersed with tear gas, the four main unions in Benin – COSI, CGTB, CSA, UNSTB – managed to bring their activists into the streets of Cotonou to march against the high cost of living. A demonstration supervised by the police and which ended at the Place de l’Étoile rouge, in Cotonou.
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With our correspondent in Cotonou, Jean-luc Aplogan
The march was closely supervised by the police who deployed mobile equipment and an impressive workforce.
At the start of the procession, a banner summarizes the reason for the mobilization: “ No to starving governance “.
Just behind were all the protest leaders. The procession, which left the Labor Exchange, was noisy. Marching bands, vuvuzelas and mobile sound systems provided entertainment, accompanying classic songs of union struggles.
Along the route, motorcycle taxis and local residents who came out spontaneously took up, with the walkers, the slogan “ We are hungry “.
It was at the Red Star Square, the stopping point of the procession, that the leaders spoke.
The joint declaration which was read calls on President Patrice Talon to take measures with immediate effect against the high cost of living, the resumption of social dialogue and the release of around twenty activists arrested on May 1 and in pre-trial detention.
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