Protests over rising costs of living turn violent in French Caribbean island of Martinique

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00:00This fast food restaurant is the workplace of more than 100 young residents of Fort-de-France

00:06on the island of Martinique.

00:09Those who burned it down put those low-income workers, most of them students, out of a job.

00:16It will take months to rebuild the restaurant.

00:19This has put our young workers in a difficult position.

00:23This arson, like the looting and vandalism in Fort-de-France and neighbouring La Montagne,

00:29are part of a protest against the high cost of living on the French Caribbean island.

00:35While people are divided over the methods used by the rioters, in recent days several

00:41people have been wounded in shootings, including police officers and a protester, several stores

00:47have been looted and some barricades set up by demonstrators.

00:51Most agree, though, authorities must act to bring down prices, starting with food.

00:57This is a tougher phase of the protest.

01:00The priority is to be able to afford food.

01:02In Martinique, basic food products are on average 40% more expensive than in mainland France.

01:11They ask me, Dad, can you pay for this?

01:13It's difficult to answer yes because I can't make ends meet.

01:19Protesters demand distributors cut their margins and that the state cut a specific tax on food

01:24imports, which isn't applied in mainland France.

01:28Talks between local groups, elected leaders and distributors have so far failed.

01:34To stop the violence, additional police forces have been sent to the island and a partial

01:39night curfew is now enforced in several neighbourhoods of Fort-de-France, with authorities saying

01:45the goal is solely to protect people and businesses.

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