The tension is high in Saint-Martin. Two major axes of the French part of the Caribbean island have been blocked by roadblocks since Thursday, residents and tourists being regularly victims of racketeering to continue their journey.
The dams, located in the north and south of the island, force motorists and professionals to make major detours through the Dutch part of the island. The prefect condemned acts “with discriminatory methods”.
The prefect’s words that don’t get through
Since the beginning of September, the situation has become tense, with mobilizations and blockages. For Lenny Mussington, spokesperson for the Collective of demonstrators, “unemployment, poverty, discrimination in hiring” are the ingredients of the anger that has agitated the sectors of Sandy Ground and Quartier d’Orléans since Thursday.
According to the spokesperson, the rumbling that animates these neighborhoods was also born from the remarks made by the prefect on October 22 during a press conference. Speaking about the random blockades of the island organized in protest at the establishment of the health pass, Serge Gouteyron had described as “small manipulative tyrants” and “traffickers” those who tried to obstruct the roads. “Instead of dialoguing (…), he chose another strategy, that of criminalizing young people, I would even say Saint-Martinois,” said Lenny Mussington.
Concerned tourism professionals
In a press release, the prefect condemned the blockade attempts at Quartier d’Orléans and at Sandy-Ground, denouncing actions which “seriously damage the image of the” Friendly Island “”, the island’s nickname, and ” flout the essential values of the Republic ”. For their part, tourism stakeholders are worried about the possible negative repercussions on a tourist season which promises to be good after the difficult years of Hurricane Irma and the health crisis.