FILE - French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin gestures during a media league astatine the Interior Ministry successful Paris, May 25, 2021. French authorities are sending constabulary peculiar forces to the Caribbean land of Guadeloupe, an overseas territory of France, arsenic protests implicit COVID-19 restrictions erupted into rioting. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin denounced unacceptable unit successful an interrogation with Le Parisien paper that was published Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, file) (Michel Euler, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

PARIS – French authorities are sending constabulary peculiar forces to the Caribbean land of Guadeloupe, an overseas territory of France, arsenic protests implicit COVID-19 restrictions erupted into rioting.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin denounced “unacceptable” unit successful an interrogation with Le Parisien paper that was published Sunday. He said that 50 officers from constabulary peculiar forces are owed to get successful Guadeloupe. They travel successful summation to 200 different constabulary sent to the Caribbean land from France’s mainland.

The determination comes aft respective days of protests and roadworthy blockades.

Darmanin said pursuing an exigency gathering Saturday successful Paris that “some shots person been fired against constabulary officers” successful Guadeloupe and determination has been looting. Videos posted connected societal media showed that thoroughfare equipment, cars and immoderate buildings person been acceptable connected fire.

French media said respective buildings successful the metropolis halfway of Pointe-a-Pitre, the island's largest city, person been destroyed.

Ad

Road blockades enactment hospitals successful “very hard concern for a fewer hours” during which patients and supplies couldn't scope hospitals, notably starring to meals not being served, Darmanin said Saturday.

“The authorities volition basal firm,” helium said, adding that astatine slightest 31 radical person been arrested by police.

Guadeloupe Prefect Alexandre Rochatte has imposed a nightly curfew from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. since Friday.

Rochatte said successful a connection Saturday that immoderate electrical facilities adjacent dams person been damaged, which has caused outages to immoderate customers. He warned astir the hazard of electrocution for those staying adjacent the dams and urged radical ne'er to interaction electrical cables.

The protests person been called for by commercialized unions to denounce the COVID-19 wellness walk that is required to entree restaurants and cafes, taste venues, athletics arenas and long-distance travel. Demonstrators are besides protesting France’s mandatory vaccinations for wellness attraction workers.

Ad

The walk shows that radical are afloat vaccinated, person had a caller antagonistic trial oregon impervious of a caller COVID-19 recovery.

Darmanin said astir 80% of wellness attraction workers connected the land person been vaccinated.

___

Follow AP sum of the pandemic astatine https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.