Martinique/Guadeloupe : pourquoi une telle colère ? • RFI

Hello Jean-Baptiste, in the capital of the RDC, you are listening to us in Kinshasa. Welcome. Your questions. So we will already answer this first question with Sylvie Coffey who joins us. Hello Sylvie. Hello. Journalist at RFI's Service France, the calm has returned to Martinique and Guadeloupe, even if the tensions are still palpable. But it's true that these two islands have been the scene of riots that broke out on the verge of a mobilization against the rich life. Why such a flurry of violence? So the violence broke out first in Fort-de-France, in Martinique. We know that this is where the population is getting poorer and poorer. According to the INSEE figures, nearly a third of the population lives below the poverty line, while in the metropolis this figure is divided by two. The population is therefore angry and denounces in particular the increase in food prices. So let's take a few examples. 12 euros for toilet paper, 11 euros for a pack of water. And even the banana that is produced locally is more expensive than in Paris when it is sold in supermarkets. And so, faced with this feeling of injustice, anger has risen with this outburst of violence. These demonstrations had started both in Guadeloupe to reach Martinique and Guyana with this slogan, anti-profit, in other words, stop to profit. And 15 years later, there was visibly little response to the Martiniquais, Guadeloupeans, Guyanese. Yes, we must remember that all these foodstuffs of first necessity are therefore imported. And then, between transport, freight, the distribution chain, the prices go up. Yes, you have to know, you have to have that in mind. And I think the listeners will understand. It is that in the hexagon, between the place of manufacture of a product and the place of sale, let's say a supermarket, there are 5 to 6 participants in Martinique and in Guadeloupe for the same product that comes from the hexagon. You have to count up to 13 participants in transport. The Antilles are still 7,000 km from Paris. There is storage. And finally, each participant necessarily takes his share. And we end up, as you said, with a pack of 11 euros worth of water. Yes, exactly. This is also added to the sea grant. You know, it is a specific tax that applies to the overseas, which dates from the colonial era and which affects exclusively imported products. A tax that goes directly into the communes' coffers, ensuring up to 40% of their operating budget. The rest feeds the coffers of the territorial community of Martinique. And I think there is a desire to modify this sea grant. Yes, exactly. In fact, to obtain an alignment of prices with those of the hexagon. At the moment we are talking about, negotiations are underway to lower prices by 20%. So, Jean-Baptiste, you said you had two questions. We are listening to you for the last one. For the first time in 105 years, the CRS has been deployed in Martinique. Why such a radical decision? So, a radical decision. It is true that the sending of the CRS was experienced by many as a provocation. Yes, exactly. Because the authorities are really afraid of overflow. Indeed, last weekend, the eighth Republican security company, the CRS-8, was deployed. And as you say, Jean-Baptiste, in your question, it is the first time in nearly 60 years that a CRS unit has been deployed on the island. The elected representatives of Martinique had made their departure with the murderous riots of December 1959 in Fort-de-France, where several people had been killed. The government's decision to send this repressive corps back to Martinique constituted a real provocation for some elected representatives. But the opinions are shared. I was able to join Rosette Jean-Louis. She is the President of the Neighborhood Citizens' Council. Her neighborhood, she says, looks like a real battlefield at the moment. She told us how relieved she was with the arrival of the CRS-8. A little reminder, Juan, this unit specialized in urban violence was created in 2021. In April 2023, it was sent to Mayotte to reinforce the operatives of the Wambushu operation.