Four French journalists were targeted by gunshots from individuals on motorcycles the night of Thursday to Friday in a district of Fort-de-France, while they were covering nightly urban violence on the island , reveals AFP this Friday. An AFP photographer, two BFMTV journalists and a photojournalist photo agency Abaca Press were targeted.
Three shots in a deserted street
Journalists wiped three shots in a deserted street, while the strict curfew decreed Thursday evening was in progress. Men on two motorcycles shot at them while they were filming and photographing a burning dam from a good distance.
AFP photographer Loïc Venance, two journalists from BFMTV / RMC Sport, Maureen Lehoux and Julien Taureau, and Abaca Press photojournalist Raphaël Lafargue were not injured and had just enough time to climb to board their vehicle and leave the scene in a hurry. The helmeted individuals did not follow them.
We were alone. I saw two motorcycles stop. I shouted: ‘Damn there are motorcycles!’ “- Loïc Venance, AFP photographer
“We got out of the car to film the dam from afar. We were near the Levassor canal, very close to the marina, a rather quiet place these last days. We were alone. I saw two motorcycles stop. I shouted: ‘Damn there are motorcycles!’ “, said Loïc Venance.
We said to ourselves: ‘it’s super calm, it’s not normal’”
Journalists had heard that men on armed motorcycles came to provoke the police during the nightly violence. “When we got into the car, there was a first shot. Then two more shots before we left”, detailed Julien Taureau. “We had been touring the city for an hour and a half to testify to the violence. We met a lot of police officers who were telling us to come back. They were very tense. We said to ourselves: ‘it’s super calm, it’s not normal’“, AFP photographer reported.
“It was truly a night like no other, our third night in a row. There, the city was empty and the atmosphere very heavy.”, remembers Maureen Lehoux.
Martinique has been plagued by nighttime urban violence since the call for a general strike launched on Monday by the inter-union, to protest in particular against the vaccination obligation. Several police have been the target of gunfire since Monday, slightly injuring many of them. Security was reinforced before the night from Thursday to Friday, “with a more mobile device and more to target the most difficult points”, depending on the prefecture.