Revolt continues in French Caribbean

The leader of the general strike crippling Guadeloupe has accused the French government of preparing to kill protestors to bring an end to the stoppage on the French Caribbean island.

Submitted by Ed on February 16, 2009

"Today, given the number of gendarmes who have arrived in Guadeloupe armed to the teeth, the French state has chosen its natural path: to kill Gaudeloupeans as usual," Elie Domota said on Saturday.

Domota is the leader of the Collective against Exploitation (LKP), which groups most of Guadeloupe's unions and political parties and which launched the general strike there on January 20th over low wages and the high cost of living.

The LKP is a collective of 48 cultural and social associations, left nationalist groups and trade unions, dominated by the UGTG (General Union of Guadeloupe Workers). The UGTG was set up as part of a nationalist upsurge in the aftermath of the brutal suppression in 1967 of a popular movement for wage rises, led by a strike of building workers, in which over 80 people were killed by the French police. It has become the main trade union in Guadeloupe, receiving 52 percent of the vote in the 2008 elections of representatives on the industrial tribunals.

Domota's accusation came as some supermarkets and petrol stations, which have been shut for more than three weeks, reopened as police stood by to protect the premises against potential protests by strikers on the tropical island.

"Every time there have been demonstrations in Guadeloupe to demand pay rises, the response of the state has been repression, notably in May 1967 in Pointe-a-Pitre where there were 100 deaths, building workers massacred by the gendarmes," Domota said.

On Saturday thousands of workers marched through the town of Le Moule chanting "Guadeloupe is ours, it's not theirs." They were referring to the "Bekes," the white minority which holds economic power on an island where most of the half million residents are descendants of African slaves.

Christiane Taubira, a French member of parliament for the overseas department of French Guiana on the South American continent, warned Sunday that the situation in Guadeloupe was "not far from social apartheid."

She said in an interview that "the leaders of the LKP are not anti-white racists. They are exposing a reality [...] a caste holds economic power and abuses it."

Most shops, cafes, banks, schools and government offices have been shut in Guadeloupe since the start of the strike. A massive demonstration of 25,000 out of a total population of 410,000 took place on January 24th in the capital Pointe-à-Pitre. On January 30th, 65,000 marched again in Pointe-à-Pitre.

The government has said it will not give in to strikers' demands for a monthly EUR200 increase in base salaries.

Meanwhile, the neighbouring French island of Martinique began its own general strike more than a week ago. Twelve trade unions launched a general strike call Feb. 5 against the decrease in purchasing power, which has especially affected the 70,000 people on the island living below the poverty line. On Feb. 9, 25,000 marched there, in the capital Fort-de-France. Martinique’s population is 401,000.

Comments

Caiman del Barrio

15 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Caiman del Barrio on February 18, 2009

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7896598.stm

Union official shot dead as he approached a barricade, what's the story here?

Entdinglichung

15 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Entdinglichung on February 18, 2009

statement of the LKP: http://lkp.e3b.org/dotclear/index.php?post/2009/02/18/1-mort-cette-nuit ... according to http://www.labournet.de/internationales/fr/antillenstreik.html (in German) ... there are different official versions about the killing of Jacques Bino (a 50 year old shop steward of the union CGTG and activist of the LKP and the Mouvman Kiltirèl AKIYO) ... it is not clear who was shooting, the official institutions try to blame armed youths at a barricade

Ex-temp

15 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Ex-temp on February 18, 2009

Update here:
http://libcom.org/news/police-kill-one-guadeloupe-strike-18022009

gypsy

14 years 5 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by gypsy on October 15, 2009

I shall be using that hotel thankyou spam.