In Martinique, the “Red Ribbon Army” blocks a supermarket to denounce the high cost of living

Empty shopping carts overturned to block access to the supermarket. It is not yet 8 am on Saturday, September 21, but several dozen protesters are already gathering in front of the Carrefour Market in Le François, Martinique. The goal: to prevent the store from opening in order to denounce the cost of living on the island. A mode of action that has been multiplying since the start of the protest movement, which began several weeks ago. “We’re not going to give up”assures Florence, determined to make herself heard in the face of prices “who are no longer reasonable”.

At the entrance to the dam, a photo of a pack of water at 7.99 euros was stuck on a sign to illustrate the prices charged in this overseas territory. According to INSEE, food products were “40% more expensive in Martinique than in mainland France” in 2022. And inflation continues to increase the bill for Martinicans, with a price increase of 3.2% over the last twelve months, one point more than in mainland France.

“I have to choose between paying for my groceries and paying my rent”says a protester, dressed all in red. In a few months, this color has become the rallying sign of the Rally for the Protection of Afro-Caribbean Peoples and Resources (RPPRAC). It is this “Red Ribbon Army”as the movement is called, which is at the origin of this mobilization and of the main actions against the high cost of living which have been shaking the island since the summer.

“We have the food prices of Switzerland… but not their salaries!”says Rodrigue Petitot, the president of the RPPRAC, wearing a red bob. And for good reason, in Martinique, the poverty rate is almost twice the rate in mainland France, according to INSEE. “We are here because we have to stop this price hemorrhage”says this figure of the movement, whom everyone nicknames “the R”.

It was he who, at 6 a.m., called for a rally in this town of 15,000 inhabitants, about twenty kilometers from Fort-de-France. The location was not chosen at random. The town is not one of the four municipalities in which “demonstrations and protest rallies” are now prohibited by a prefectural decree published the day before.

This did not prevent a rapid intervention by the police. Around 8:40 a.m., approximately 45 gendarmes from the department and the mobile group came to clear access to the supermarket. In a few minutes, the barrier was lifted and the blue vans were placed between the demonstrators dressed in red and the supermarket. “This deployment of force is disproportionate, Rodrigue Petitot protests, broadcast live on TikTok. It is a form of violence against a peaceful people.”

Although the deployment of law enforcement quickly made the atmosphere tense on site, no violence disrupted the action of the gendarmes. The latter, armed with defense ball launchers (LBD), did not flinch in the face of the arrests of the demonstrators, many of whom filmed the scene and their RIO identification number. “There was no physical contact with the protesters, we simply cleared access to allow the store to open and its employees to come to work”comments Lieutenant-Colonel Franck, whose mobile group has been deployed on the island for several days.

As the morning progresses, the face-off continues, to the rhythm of the Caribbean music played by the demonstrators. “The thieves are behind you!”shouts a woman, a few centimeters from the soldiers. Behind the store, all the major distributors established on the island are being singled out during these mobilizations. “They are the ones who rule and have all the wealth here.”says another protester, in a red t-shirt.

This Carrefour Market was thus targeted because, like all those on the island, it belongs to the Bernard Hayot Group (GBH), also the owner of the Euromarché, Décathlon, Monsieur Bricolage brands, as well as the main car distribution networks on the island. A concentration, inherited from the colonial era, which fuels the anger of the inhabitants. “We are asking for control of their margins and an alignment of prices with France”explains Aude Goussard, secretary and founding member of the movement.

Demands that the RPPRAC hopes to be able to make heard by the island’s authorities. A new round table on the cost of living should soon be organized by the prefecture. “We want to participate, but we ask that all people be able to attend.”explains Rodrigue Petitot, who has already left the negotiations several times in recent weeks, due to being unable to film and broadcast them live. He warns: “If they continue to try to muzzle us, we will no longer come to the negotiating table, we will overturn it!”