Martinique: Shots Fired at Police Station During Uprising

Clashes have been shaking Martinique for several nights; in a context of protest movement against the high cost of living, tensions are not abating; a curfew from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. has been decreed from Wednesday, September 18 until September 23 in some districts of Fort-de-France and the neighboring commune of Lamentin. On the night of Friday to Saturday, two people opened fire on the façade of the Fort-de-France police station, without causing any injuries. The Grand Port Maritime de Martinique, through which 98% of goods transit, is also targeted by the protest movement.

On the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, in the Dillon district, a McDonald’s was set on fire, barricades were set on fire. Also in this district, a Carrefour hypermarket was invaded by about fifty activists; they set up a barricade on the parking lot which they then tried to set on fire. During his escape on a scooter at the time of the dispersal by the police, a man fell, slightly injuring himself. He was arrested. A squadron of gendarmes, about a hundred soldiers, was sent as reinforcements. Since the beginning of the movement, 44 vehicles have been set on fire, 35 private commercial premises have been attacked, the authorities have made 15 arrests, three people have been injured, one of them by gunfire.

Source: Secours Rouge