French police deployed in Martinique after COVID unrest

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French police deployed in Martinique after COVID unrest

Motorcycle police officers stand guard in front of a street barricade after unrest in Fort-De- France, Martinique November 29, 2021 was triggered by COVID 19 curbs. PARIS, Nov 30 Reuters - Police reinforcements arrived in the French Caribbean territory of Martinique on Tuesday to restore order after unrest erupted over COVID 19 measures, in particular the mandatory vaccination of healthcare workers, a government minister said.

Martinique, and before it the nearby island of Guadeloupe, has seen several days of protests against COVID 19 measures that spilled over into violence.

The minister for France's overseas territories, Sebastien Lecornu, said 70 gendarmes had arrived earlier in the day, in addition to two squadrons that were deployed unannounced from metropolitan France to help clear road blocks.

Social dialogue is not possible without a sound basis and that sound basis is the re-establishment of freedoms and our capacity to re-establish order, Lecornu told a press conference in Martinique.

Last week, Paris announced that it would be postponing a requirement for public sector workers in Guadeloupe and Martinique to get a COVID 19 vaccine, but the disorder has rumbled on.

The vaccine mandate and other COVID restrictions sparked long-standing grievances over living standards and the relationship between France's Caribbean islands and Paris.