France sends elite anti-riot police team to quell violent protests

FORT-DE-France, Martinique (CMC):

A group of special anti-riot police has arrived from France to deal with protests on the French-speaking Caribbean country where violent protests erupted last week over the high cost of living, with gunfire injuring at least six police officers and one civilian.

France sent the special anti-riot police to Martinique where protesters have gathered despite the government barring demonstrations in parts of the island.

The elite riot police, known as the Companies for Republican Security, were banned in the French territory following bloody riots in December 1959. They had been accused of using disproportionate force against protesters, ending in the deaths of a number of young demonstrators. The force is rarely deployed in French territories in the Caribbean, but was called on during riots and strikes in Guadeloupe in 2009.

In a statement, the central government said that protests were forbidden in the municipalities of Fort-de-France, Le Lamentin, Ducos and Le Robert until Monday.

The authorities also issued a curfew and the restrictions follow the violent protests with police using tear gas to disperse the protesters. Government officials said several stores were also looted.

They said the curfew is intended “to protect the population (and), business targeted by vandals”.

The authorities said the bans were meant “to put an end to the violence and damage committed at gatherings, as well as to the numerous obstacles to daily life and freedom of movement that penalise the entire population, particularly at weekends”.

Videos from local media show crowds of thousands peacefully walking along highways over the weekend banging on drums and waving flags.

They complain that food stuff cost at much as 40 per cent more than in France and are demanding that the state cut the tax on food imports. Talks between the various stakeholders have so far failed to reach an agreement.

A representative of the socialist party here, Béatrice Bellay, has denounced the decision to allow the elite riot police on the island, saying “Martinique is not in a civil war, it is a social war.”

“This measure … only serves to aggravate tensions and distract attention from the legitimate demands of the people of Martinique,” she said in a statement.