Since September 2024, there have been widespread protests and violent confrontations across the

French Caribbean The French West Indies or French Antilles (, ; ) are the parts of France located in the Antilles islands of the Caribbean: * The two overseas departments of: ** Guadeloupe, including the islands of Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Les Saintes, Mari ...

territory of

Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...

. The unrest is caused by elevated

costs of living The cost of living is the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living for an individual or a household. Changes in the cost of living over time can be measured in a cost-of-living index. Cost of living calculations are also used to compare t ...

, consequential bans on public protests placed by the central Government of France on several municipalities, and the deployment of elite riot police that had been banned from the territory for over 65 years due to their prior killing of several young demonstrators.

Background

In the years prior to 2024, Martinique has been the site of several widespread protests against inequality in

racial Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of va ...

and

economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

areas. Protests and civil unrest were especially prevalent during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, where several civilians protested against COVID restrictions implemented by the French government in November 2021. These protests were launched in cooperation with neighboring

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...

labor unions against requirements from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

made in mid-September 2020 to have a pass certifying COVID-19 vaccination for

healthcare workers A health professional, healthcare professional (HCP), or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated as HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physi ...

in order to have access to long-distance travel, restaurants, sports arenas, and other public venues, at penalty of suspension. The protests also expressed anger at widespread racial and economic inequality, and demanded general salary increases, increased teacher hiring, and greater benefits for

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work du ...

. In response to the protests, the French government released a statement saying that, “If the law of the Republic must apply in all French regions, and therefore in Guadeloupe and Martinique, the way it is applied must be adapted to the social conditions and public health situations of these territories.” The protests resulted in several shots being fired at French security forces, as well as several nearby journalists. Multiple police officers were injured, resulting in ten arrests. French spokesman

Gabriel Attal Gabriel Nissim Attal de Couriss (; born 16 March 1989) is a French politician who was the prime minister of France from January to September 2024. He was the youngest and the first openly Gay man, gay prime minister in French history. A member ...

denounced violence at the protests, calling it “unacceptable”. In addition to the violence, several roadblocks were set up by protesters, while cars were set on fire and

looting Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

occurred in many municipalities. Police used

stun grenade A stun grenade, also known as a flash grenade, flashbang, thunderflash, or sound bomb, is a Non-lethal weapon, non-lethal explosive device used to temporarily disorient an enemy's senses. Upon detonation, a stun grenade produces Flash blindness, ...

s and

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...

to disperse protesters.

Social unrest

Protests began to spread across the Martinique in September 2024 in response to high costs of living and social, racial, and economic inequality. This included statistics released by the Insee indicated that residents of Martinique paid about 30% to 42% more for food relative to mainland French residents, which was viewed by many demonstrators and civil rights leaders as emblematic of lingering historical racial inequality in the majority-black French territory. The Rally for the Protection of Afro-Caribbean Peoples and Resources supported the demonstrations as part of an ongoing campaign to make food affordable and equitable in price for Martinique citizens. This culminated in gunfire from protesters that injured at least fourteen people, including eleven police officers and at least one citizen, and also resulted in several burned cars, fire-gutted buildings, and looted stores. Police deployed tear gas against small protests. As a reaction to the unrest, the French government implemented a ban on protests and large gatherings in Ducos,

Fort-de-France Fort-de-France (, , ; ) is a Communes of France, commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. History Before it was ceded to France by Spain in 1635, the area of Fort-de-Fra ...

Le Robert Le Robert (; ) is a town and the third-largest commune in the French overseas department of Martinique. It is located in the northeastern (Atlantic) side of the island of Martinique. It contains the Sainte Rose-de-Lima church, Club Nautique Wi ...

, and

Le Lamentin Le Lamentin (; ; ) is a city and town, located in the French overseas department and region of Martinique. With its area of 62.32 km2, it is the town with the largest area in Martinique. Le Lamentin, with close to 40,000 inhabitants, is the ...

, and implemented a

curfew A curfew is an order that imposes certain regulations during specified hours. Typically, curfews order all people affected by them to remain indoors during the evening and nighttime hours. Such an order is most often issued by public authorit ...

in order "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 penalize the entire population, particularly at weekends.” The legal restrictions resulted in further resentment from protesters, and resulted in larger and even more widespread protests occurring across the territory on 21 September, with videos showing thousands of peaceful protesters waving flags and banging on drums while marching on

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of way. In the United States, it is also used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or ...

s. In response to the defiance, the French government deployed the Companies for Republican Security to the island, an elite riot police unit that had been banned from the territory for over 65 years due to their violent and disproportionately forceful suppression of demonstrations that killed several young protesters in December 1959. On 10 October, in one of the deadliest days of the riots, at least one person was killed when demonstrators set fire to a police station, cars and road barricades as they clashed with officers. 26 police officers were also injured with bullet wounds.

Responses

Martinique Socialist Party representative

Béatrice Bellay Béatrice Bellay (born 25 July 1975) is a French politician in the overseas department of Martinique. Bellay was elected to serve as a member of the National Assembly for Martinique's 3rd constituency in 2024. She has served as leader of the Soc ...

harshly denounced the decision to deploy the Companies for Republican Security to the island, stating that: “Martinique is not in a civil war, it is a social war” that required “open and transparent dialogue” between demonstrators and government. She further clarified that: “This measure ... only serves to aggravate tensions and distract attention from the legitimate demands of the people of Martinique.”

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinique social unrest, 2024 2024 in Martinique 2024 protests September 2024 in France September 2024 in North America Rebellions in France French West Indies 2024 riots 2024 in French politics 2020s political riots Political riots in France Police brutality in France Police brutality in North America Police brutality in the 2020s Attacks on police stations in France Attacks on police stations in 2024 Attacks on police stations in North America Government building fires Building and structure arson attacks in France Building and structure arson attacks in North America Arson attacks on vehicles in North America Arson in 2024 2020s fires in North America

Background

Social unrest

Responses

See also

References