A new night of violence in Martinique

On Monday local time (2 a.m. Tuesday in Paris), masked and hooded men set up a flaming barricade at the entrance to the Saint-Thérèse district in Fort-de-France.

“They threw Molotov cocktails at a mobile gendarmerie vehicle and threw live ammunition three times at the police,” Martinique’s prefect, Jean-Christophe Bouvier, condemned in a press release on Tuesday.

“Seven gendarmerie soldiers and one police officer were hit by projectile fragments, fortunately without injury,” he added. “Criminal acts punishable by the most severe sanctions, which cannot be justified by anything, are committed,” said the representative of the state.

Rioters looted a gas station and set fire to a business and at least five cars, according to authorities. Four people were arrested.

“Pretext for Riot”

A day earlier, several fires were started in the city center of Fort-de-France by the shouts of “Free Pinto”, an activist who says he is the heir to the land he was allegedly robbed of in the community of Trois. -Elets.

Residents of a residence built on land claimed by Herve Pinto said they had been intimidated for years, took legal action and the man was banned from the neighborhood.

He was caught in an area where he was forbidden to go.

“We see that this matter mobilizes people other than the usual supporters of Hervé Pinto,” Fort-de-France public prosecutor Clarice Terron noted Monday, adding that she “observed a certain recovery that we are analyzing more like a pretext.” are. to riot.”