Three members of the association that originated the mobilization against the high cost of living in Martinique were arrested on Thursday, November 21, ten days after their break-in at the prefect’s residence during a ministerial visit, the Fort Fort prosecutor’s office reported on Thursday. of. -France at the Agence France-Presse (AFP).
these three people “they were detained” Thursday for “burglary charges [intrusion dans la résidence préfectorale]invasion of privacy and acts of intimidation »Odile de Fritsch, deputy prosecutor of Fort-de-France, told AFP.
The facts of which they are accused were “engaged 11 November 2024 at Fort-de-France”The magistrate specified, confirming that among the three detained was Gwladys Roger, treasurer of the demonstration for the protection of Afro-Caribbean peoples and resources (RPPRAC).
A few hours after the arrival of the Overseas Minister, François-Noël Buffet, after two months of tensions due to the high cost of living on the island, the leader of the RPPRAC Rodrigue Petitot and three members of the collective broke into his residence. prefect and demanded to meet with the minister. The prefect of Martinique, Jean-Christophe Bouvier, intervened and prevented this meeting.
“Totally disproportionate” means
Mr. Petitot was arrested the day after the incident and placed under judicial supervision after forty-eight hours in police custody. The Fort-de-France criminal court adjourned the trial until January 21.
In a press release, the RPPRAC denounced the arrest of its three members on Thursday. “Without a prior summons”the police proceeded “to heavy-handed arrests and searches of the homes of RPPRAC members, in particular that of Gwladys Roger, treasurer”Indian.
They “they are not fugitives”adds the press release, which denounces “the instrumentalization of justice” and the use of media “totally disproportionate, [qui] “They intend to discredit the members of the association”.
Several revolts broke out outside the mobilization against the high cost of living launched in early September by the RPPRAC in Martinique, where food products are on average 40% more expensive than in France, according to the National Institute of Statistics and economic studies.
According to the prefecture, more than 230 vehicles were burned and dozens of commercial premises were set on fire, vandalized or looted.
