Friday, February 20, 2009

Problems in the Caribbean?

Guadeloupe, a French Possession, has problems. Six policemen have been injured on the small island in clashes with the population over food prices. A union boss has been shot dead. The airport is now shut down.

The mayor of Pointe-a-Pitre said gunfire rang out all night. "No one can go out onto the streets," Jacques Bangou told Europe 1 radio. "For the past 48 hours, the streets have been in the hands of groups of young people, completely out of control."

The friendly French muslim population back in Europe always seems to be looking for something to complain about. Sarkozy has recently released 2.65 billion Euros for new social programs in the mainland in an effort to prevent unrest from spreading to France.


Update: Problem policed as of yesterday. Four units of French Gendarmes have been flown in from Europe, and 33 protestors have been arrested.

Update #2: There were also bribes. Workers now get an additional $10/day from the French government, probably doubling their wages. Guadeloupe has an interesting history.

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