The curfew from midnight to five in the morning in Martinique is extended in Fort-de-France and four municipalities on its outskirts until November 4, the prefecture of the Caribbean island, the scene of violence, announced on Monday, October 28. urban in recent years. last weeks.
Since October 10, it has been applied to the entire island, but the prefecture chose to restrict it to “municipalities of Case Pilote, Fort-de-France, Lamentin, Saint-Joseph and Schoelcher from midnight to 5 in the morning, until Monday, November 4 inclusive”the prefecture wrote in a press release.
This measure is accompanied by restrictions on the sale and transportation of gasoline and the use of pyrotechnic devices that affect the entire island. The prefecture justifies this decision by “New roadblocks erected during the night of October 27-28 and due to the violence that continued to mark the territory of Martinique during the week of October 21”.
New scenes of violence
After a quiet weekend, the night from Sunday to Monday was marked by new scenes of violence, characterized by the throwing of Molotov cocktails at the gendarmes, according to the prefecture. She also reported “the seizure of several hundred ammunition during a vehicle check, following a refusal to comply”.
Since September, Martinique has been affected by a movement against the high cost of living that has degenerated into urban riots and violence, mainly at night. After a first partial curfew established from September 18 to 26 to contain the unrest, the prefect imposed new bans on night traffic throughout the territory starting on October 10, after the resumption of clashes.
The negotiations resulting from the mobilization, which brought together local elected officials, state services, economic actors and activists, resulted in an agreement to lower the prices of around 6,000 food products. “20% on average” but the movement behind the mobilization refused to sign it, considering the number of products in question insufficient.
