Several hundred demonstrators, with firefighters on the front line according to local media, mobilized on Saturday on the access road to the Pôle Caraïbes airport, disrupting air traffic as the tourist season begins in Guadeloupe. “For a little less than three hours, access to the airport was blocked, the car parks were inaccessible”, indicates an airport source.
“We had to manage the expectations of passengers on arrival and departure. Passengers who were to take a flight came on foot to the airport. They crossed the demonstration, without clashes or violence, to take their plane. There were some delays but the situation has returned to normal, ”said this source at the end of the evening.
A call for a general strike on Monday
According to local media, the demonstration was organized, as every Saturday, by the LKP collective (Lyannaj Konrt Pwofitasyion) and union organizations hostile to the health pass and the vaccination obligation for caregivers.
In Guadeloupe, where less than half of those over 18 have received at least a first dose of vaccine, the debate on compulsory vaccination remains lively. A call for a general strike was launched for Monday by a collective of union and citizen organizations to protest against the vaccine obligation and the suspensions of caregivers in all sectors. The SDIS has already announced that it will set up a minimum service “in order to ensure the continuity of public service while respecting the right to strike”.