‘Unacceptable poverty’: Protests continue in Martinique

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00:00Bringing traffic to a standstill, taxi drivers in Martinique blocked roads and highways in

00:07a show of solidarity with cost-of-living protests that have rocked the French overseas territory

00:13in recent weeks.

00:14Today, a segment of the population has fallen into extreme poverty, elderly people living

00:20on small pensions and parents who can't feed their children properly.

00:26The protests that began earlier this month have since turned violent, as rioters began

00:30looting businesses and attacking security forces.

00:34Several policemen were injured by gunfire in the past week, leading French authorities

00:39to impose a 9pm curfew on Wednesday.

00:42But while many locals and elected officials have condemned the violence, criticizing a

00:47strategy of chaos, most are also expressing solidarity with the movement and are urging

00:53the French government to take urgent measures to alleviate poverty on the island.

01:01These prices have become unsustainable.

01:04We're seeing middle-class families fall into poverty which is unacceptable.

01:09So we understand the people's anger, and even if we're witnessing violence and degradations,

01:15we must recognize that they are caused by the immense poverty people are facing.

01:23The average salary is much lower in Martinique than in metropolitan France, yet food prices

01:29are up to 40% higher, according to government statistics.

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