Protesters storm Guadeloupe legislature over vaccine mandate

Protesters in Guadeloupe on Friday occupied the local legislature in the French Caribbean overseas territory, in a new standoff with Paris sparked by coronavirus prevention measures.

Tensions have been building in Guadeloupe and the neighboring island of Martinique over the last weeks, particularly over the management of the territories as well as coronavirus measures including obligatory vaccinations for healthcare workers.

The protesters are also seeking better access to clean water, pension and wage increases and mass employment.

Demonstrators first entered the debating chamber of the Regional Council while it was meeting on Thursday, with several staying the night and deciding to continue their action through Friday.

The protesters aim to negotiate with France over the COVID measures, and are calling for sanctions to be halted against healthcare workers who have refused the vaccine. However, officials have indicated that they will not engage in talks as long as demonstrations are carried out.

Inside the council building, the protesters strung a banner reading "No to Obligatory Vaccination, No to the Health Pass,'' according to images posted online by local officials. A Christmas tree was shown knocked over.

'We have absolutely nothing'

"We're here and as long as we don't have a commitment, because we have nothing at all, we have absolutely nothing, so as long as we don't have a firm commitment, an urgent meeting, we'll stay here," said Maite Hubert M'toumo, general secretary of the general union of Guadeloupean workers, in the legislature.

"If we have to, we'll spend Christmas here. But we'll stay here," she added. Raphael Cece, of the newspaper Rebelle, added: "We are not against the vaccine, but we are fighting against this injustice, the sanctions, the mandatory vaccines for health workers."

Last month, protesters set up barricades around major roads, bringing traffic on the island to a standstill.

France's Overseas Territories Minister Sebastien Lecornu tweeted in response: "No demand justifies hindering the smooth running of an assembly of elected officials in the middle of a plenary session."

Health care workers who refused the vaccine are set to be suspended from December 31.

Low vaccination rates in the territories

Vaccination rates in France's Caribbean territories are significantly lower than those on mainland France, and there are concerns that the new wave created by the omicron variant could create serious health problems in the region.

One-third of the island's population lives below the poverty line, and the cost of living is higher than in the French mainland. Water supplies have been a major problem in recent years because of obsolete pipes.

Anger over France's handling of a toxic pesticide in Caribbean banana fields has fueled mistrust in the government's COVID-19 vaccine polices, along with misinformation shared on WhatsApp and Telegram groups.

lc/rs (AFP, AP)