Industrial Workers of the World

" Sarkozy and Merkel say Europe will lead way towards 'moral' capitalism" - 8th Jan 2009 "

Demonstrators alternated between chants and cries in the French creole language of the islands, raising their fists to shouts of “Down with colonization”, “Two-hundred euros, yes we can!” and “Life is dear under those coconut trees”. A sign read: "“apartheid is a reality in the Caribbean”.

Guadeloupe riots turn paradise into war zone as one protester shot dead - Feb 18th

Sarkozy under pressure as civil disturbances over economy escalate in French territory Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana - Reunion rebellion The movement, led by the umbrella group Collective against Extreme Exploitation, began on 20 January as a general strike and protest against the island's high living costs....

Today France's interior minister, Michèle Alliot-Marie, called a crisis meeting of leading political figures to discuss plans to quell the violence. But critics said it was too little, too late, condemning Sarkozy for failing to tackle the crisis earlier. "I call on the president to come out of his ivory tower and finally tell us if France still cares about Guadeloupe," said Jacques Bangou, mayor of Pointe à Pitre.,,,

The president, whose approval ratings are at their lowest since his 2007 election, is terrified of a repeat of the discontent that brought France to a standstill in 1995. Just weeks after 2.5 million people took to the streets in protest at his handling of the economy, another day of strikes is scheduled for next month....

The issues are comparable to those in the riot-hit Parisian suburbs, said Malek Boutih, a former president of the French pressure group SOS Racisme. "The youth of Guadeloupe is the youth of the banlieue," he said. "There is no concrete, there are palm trees, but it's the same dead end for its youth."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/18/nicolassarkozy-guadeloupe

A General Strike is being organised in mainland France for March 19th.

A coalition of labour unions in Réunion, a French overseas region in the Indian Ocean located thousands of miles from Guadeloupe and Martinique, has announced their own general strike scheduled for 5 March 2009, in support of the Caribbean strikes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_French_Caribbean_general_strikes

www.france24.com/en/20090215-guadeloupe-martinique-fort-france-strikes-reporters-eve-irvine-willy-bracciano