“We discover the horror”, deplores a resident. The iron curtain is smashed in, boxes of empty sneakers spread all over the sidewalk, plastic mannequins naked. There is hardly anything left of this looted sporting goods store on the night of Saturday 20 to Sunday 21 November. This is the tthird night of tensions in Guadeloupe.
Shops, pharmacies, restaurants looted despite the curfew in the city centers of Pointe-à-Pitre, Basse-Terre or Lamentin. Groups sometimes armed, indicates the Prefecture with shots directed against the intervention forces according to a press release. Two members of the security forces were injured. In total, more than 150 tear gas and de-encircling grenades were launched by the police.
For the 3rd consecutive night, the #Guadeloupe has experienced #Urban violence. Sometimes armed groups have attempted to loot & ransack #shops of #PointAPitre, #Lowland Where #Lament by opposing systematically & with #violence to the action of the security forces pic.twitter.com/TmZVe88uUT
– Prefect of Guadeloupe (@ Prefet971) November 21, 2021
This Sunday, November 21, it is a scene of looting that the inhabitants of this street of Pointe-à-Pitre discover. “They vandalized everything, everything! We’re completely disgusted”exclaims a resident.
Like her friend, Davina is stunned. She discovers the extent of the damage. She lives near the store and on Saturday, November 20, she witnessed the looting from her balcony. “It started around midnight, I heard noises while we were on curfew. I found it weird. It looked like there were motorcycles. In fact they were groups of young people dressed. in black. They were not 10 or 15 but rather 100 or 150 so it lasted a long time “, she says. “They were quiet. They were trying on the shoes and when they saw us watching, they threw rocks and bottles of beer at us on the balconies. I called the police several times who said ‘we were being given. call everywhere ‘”, details Davina.
/2021/11/21/phpXsMuh4.jpg)
On the sidewalk Julien the son of the manager notices the damage. When he left the store on Saturday evening, November 20, he was rather serene. “We thought it was going to go well because at the beginning of the evening we had seen trucks of the gendarmerie and the army entering Pointe-à-Pitre so we thought it was going to be more or less secure “, he says. Corn “around 1am we received a call and videos showing a crowd ransacking the curtain. They took everything, broke everything. They are everywhere, boxes of shoes everywhere, until the esplanade at the top. “
Annoyed, his brother Jonathan awaits the arrival of the judicial police. “To endure such atrocities, because it is really excruciating, we are really angry. We have curtains, normally to remove them you necessarily need crowbars but that does not prevent”, he laments. “I don’t think there is enough reinforcement because the police have passed by but cannot even stay. They have no manpower to cover the city, to secure a bit. There is not. enough backup. ”
“In the evening it is not good to walk in the streets”, adds a passerby. 38 people were arrested and taken into custody during this new night of violence.
Third night of violence and looting in Guadeloupe – Report by Farida Nouar
to listen