Last week, violent protests erupted on the French Caribbean island of Martinique due to the high cost of living, resulting in injuries to several police officers and a civilian. In response, France sent a group of special anti-riot police, the Companies for Republican Security, to the island, a force that had been banned for 65 years.
Despite the government imposing restrictions on protests in certain municipalities and issuing a curfew, peaceful demonstrations broke out on Saturday night with thousands of people marching peacefully. This defiance led to the deployment of the French riot police to the island, where they stayed at a hotel in Fort-de-France.
The elite riot police had been banned in Martinique following violent riots in 1959, but were called upon amid the recent protests. This move was met with criticism from some on the island, with one political representative calling for open and transparent dialogue between protesters and the government.
The deployment of the riot police is seen as a historic shift for Martinique, as the force is rarely used in French territories in the Caribbean. Despite the protests and the presence of the special police unit, the government and the demonstrators continue to be at odds on how to address the issues surrounding the high cost of living and the protests.
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