The United States Embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados, has issued a security alert to Americans in Martinique amid ongoing violent unrest in the French Caribbean territory.
Demonstrators have been protesting against the high cost of living.
On Friday, the Embassy advised United States citizens to avoid large public gatherings, and maintain constant awareness of their surroundings.
It also advised against wearing jewelry or displaying cash and encouraged monitoring local and international news and social media channels.
The security alert came as Martinique authorities re-imposed a 9 am to 5 pm curfew in response to looting, arson, and street demonstrations.
Schools have closed temporarily, and on Thursday, demonstrators targeted the territory’s main airport, forcing its brief closure.
At least one person has died in the context of the unrest.
However, local media reported only a few minor incidents between Saturday and Sunday night as a cleanup continued and the authorities urged a return to normalcy.
Martinique has seen similar protests in recent years, many fuelled by anger over what demonstrators say is economic, social, and racial inequality.
According to media reports, in 2020, 27% of Martinique residents lived under the poverty line, a rate 12 points higher than in mainland France.
The latest in a string of cost-of-living protests on the French Caribbean island protests began in early September, prompting national authorities to send special anti-riot police.
Question is, what percentage of Saint Lucians are living below the poverty line? The issue with high prices is that people’s wages do not keep up with them as inflation continues to eat away their hard earned money. It appears the Martiniquan authorities have left this issue of higher prices get out of hand and so the people feeling the squeeze and are lashing out. I hope peace and tranquility return to the society and people of Martinique rather quickly.
Cost of living has been higher in Martinique than in France or the other overseas departments for years. Just to give an example, we import clothes directly from the USA, let’s say Levi jeans, in Martinique, the imports tend to go France first, then Martinique, thus raising the cost. Multiply this by a thousand items, and this is a major contributer to the high cost of living. At Le Galleria Mall in Martinique, almost everything there costs about twice what it would in Saint Lucia. A plate of just plain rice and chicken costs 15 Euros about 7 years ago during my last visit, that’s almost 50 ec if you do the conversion. Although I was there for just a day, I had to go hungry for the day! The only things at reasonable prices in Martinique are yogurts, rum, wine, posh coco, and the long hard French bread that’s difficult to eat, that breaking your jaw, and of course the national beer, Lorraine. When the Martiniquans come here, they can’t believe the prices at Baywalk mall, and all duty free. They have a field day! I wish all our Martiniquan brothers and sisters well, I wish Saint Lucian s would not go there and commit crimes which give us all a bad name.
St.Lucians travel by boat to shop in Martinique. Does that mean prices are higher in St.Lucia or St.Lucia has a better economy? I want to know.
Well well well raise up people against your colonizers and oppressors. You see you always want to attach yourself to them and not stand on your own and not feed yourself. In the words of The Honorable Luis Farrakhan “whom ever feeds you owns you”……and where is there another classic example of this same scenario just waiting to be played out….,on the island of Puerto Rico yeah they want to be attached to the good old USA it’s better for us……yeah right, goods and services cost twice as much in Puerto Rico compared to mainland USA…..let’s say you place and order from China for rice in Puerto Rico that Vessel from China has to carry it to the USA first and ONLY an American Merchant Ship can bring it to the island, so they pay twice to have that shipment of rice delivered, and guess where the over-cost is passed on to….. yup you guessed it, this why cost of living is so high there even though they are a US I can’t vote in your elections territory……fools but there are some who does care about that just as long as they have “that status” of been a US territory. The same thing like Martinique only liquor is cheap there, they use the good ole’ liquor to control the people just like do the American Indians on their reservations to this day. So you would think the US would provide tax’s incentives for businesses to relocate there ?? Yes they do but it’s NEVER permanent and as soon as that time is up they pack up and leave the island this is why places like New York has a huge PR population things are hard on the island……Trump once stated he wanted to sell the island because it’s a burden to America….French taxpayers are thinking the same thing. The US just has PR as a stratigraphic military outpost that’s all they don’t care for anything else their agriculture suffers they still import everything from the mainland at a cost, the US back in the day got rid of all the breadfruit trees on the island so they could not feed themselves so in order for them to be always dependent on them for goods……of course they have sand and sea so hotels will run always run there. St Lucia is in the same predicament we love everything foreign our agriculture is low our import bill takes up more than half of our budget and then we bawl and blame government for the high cost of living here. I will never pay that 9 EC per pound for a American lemons here I buy one once cut out seeds and now grow it here in abundance in my yard and I even turn around and sell them to Lucian’s for the same price (suckers keep been lazy). The point of the story is to always try and do for yourself
@The Most Honorable Lucian High grade impressed that you grow your own lemons but what about the dasheen, yam, plantain, lime etc. I disagree with your rationale but support your conclusion. We need to get people to farm and fish again. Government should be more aggressive with agricultural development.
@James Banks……I only eat St Lucian I don’t eat American……Salt fish and Brunswick Sardines I buy at Massy once in a blue moon other than that now and then I pop in to pay a bill. Yam and dasheen tomatoes plantains I have in abundance I even have my own layers I don’t buy eggs. Someone introduce me to breadfruit flour and I never look back I make plenty of that for storage. Have you ever tried St Lucian wine ? yes I made it from the pimento berry and taste like a Merlot . I tried my hands at strawberries and did well for personal consumption I got quite a bit…..my friend up in Soufriere did better than me with the few plants I gave him because he has a small greenhouse and the climate is cooler the hotel took all from him. The point is we can grow things for ourselves but people are lazy. Grace is the bread basket of St Lucia I have all kinds of herbs from up there and growing in mad abundance…… I graph a lime tree with a lemon tree and it’s blooming I can’t wait.
Our government right here have a fail agricultural department. When we would have substitute potatoes for dasheen, guess what high grade the government made potatoes a staple product and subsidize it. How can dasheen become that replacement. Let’s don’t go far to draw contrast and conclusion it’s right here amongst us. Another example we import frozen and tin vegetables of all kinds and it cost less. To import fresh vegetables from our own Caribbean countries our government tax it higher and in some case says no. Why do you think the Indian guy bail to st. Vincent to import agricultural stuff from others countries. Fools we have here for leaders.