Paris sends police reinforcements to Guadeloupe as riots continue
France has sent police reinforcements, including elite units, to its Caribbean island La Guadeloupe after a week of riots escalated this weekend, amid protests against the introduction of restrictions on movement to counter the coronavirus epidemic, and to a background of long-simmering social unrest.
OngoingOngoing violent protests this weekend in the French territory of Guadeloupe were described as "intolerable and unacceptable" by the French government, which has sent police reinforcements to the island, reports Radio France Internationale.
Guadeloupe is feared to be on the verge of a large-scale social conflict as those against health pass rules and compulsory vaccination for healthcare workers continue their unrest.
Four days of demonstrations, road blockades and scenes of urban violence prompted authorities to impose a nationwide curfew that took effect Friday night.
Walls of wooden pallets, concrete blocks and corrugated iron sheets have been erected by protestors to prevent police from getting through.
Hospital workers say the road blocks are preventing them from getting to hospitals to treat their patients.
"In the operating room, we can't run the operating rooms as usual, we practically only do emergencies, and everything that was scheduled gets cancelled," a surgical intern told France Info.
