03:25Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Paris on Sunday to protest the soaring cost of living in overseas territories, participating in the ‘March of the Maroons,’ organised by the Rally for the Protection of Afro-Caribbean Peoples and Resources (RPPRAC).
Footage shows participants waving flags from Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion, Mayotte, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and beyond, as they marched through the French capital from Denfert-Rochereau towards the Ministry of Overseas Territories.
Dressed in red, the symbolic color of this movement, protesters conveyed their unified message against the steep living costs impacting their communities.
‘We suffer from the high cost of products imported from France, which can be as much as 20% to 300% or 400% too expensive, we don't understand this exaggerated price differential, which plunges our populations into total misery," Aude Goussard, Secretary of RPPRAC, stated.
"We're fed up, we left Martinique because the Minister for Overseas France told us he wouldn't come under pressure, even though our wallets were depressed, so we've come to Paris hoping to meet him peacefully, and in the meantime, the people are going with us until we get the feeling, for once, that the French overseas territories are being heard," said another protester, Aude Goussard.
The demonstration was heavily monitored by police, with organisers reporting no incidents during the event.
This protest comes at a time of ongoing unrest in Martinique, where demonstrations have been ongoing since early September.
Protests persist despite a recent agreement between local officials, business leaders, and the French government to reduce prices by 20% on 6,000 supermarket items.
‘We're fed up!’ - Thousands take to streets in Paris to protest rising living costs in overseas territories
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Paris on Sunday to protest the soaring cost of living in overseas territories, participating in the ‘March of the Maroons,’ organised by the Rally for the Protection of Afro-Caribbean Peoples and Resources (RPPRAC).
Footage shows participants waving flags from Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion, Mayotte, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and beyond, as they marched through the French capital from Denfert-Rochereau towards the Ministry of Overseas Territories.
Dressed in red, the symbolic color of this movement, protesters conveyed their unified message against the steep living costs impacting their communities.
‘We suffer from the high cost of products imported from France, which can be as much as 20% to 300% or 400% too expensive, we don't understand this exaggerated price differential, which plunges our populations into total misery," Aude Goussard, Secretary of RPPRAC, stated.
"We're fed up, we left Martinique because the Minister for Overseas France told us he wouldn't come under pressure, even though our wallets were depressed, so we've come to Paris hoping to meet him peacefully, and in the meantime, the people are going with us until we get the feeling, for once, that the French overseas territories are being heard," said another protester, Aude Goussard.
The demonstration was heavily monitored by police, with organisers reporting no incidents during the event.
This protest comes at a time of ongoing unrest in Martinique, where demonstrations have been ongoing since early September.
Protests persist despite a recent agreement between local officials, business leaders, and the French government to reduce prices by 20% on 6,000 supermarket items.
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Paris on Sunday to protest the soaring cost of living in overseas territories, participating in the ‘March of the Maroons,’ organised by the Rally for the Protection of Afro-Caribbean Peoples and Resources (RPPRAC).
Footage shows participants waving flags from Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion, Mayotte, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and beyond, as they marched through the French capital from Denfert-Rochereau towards the Ministry of Overseas Territories.
Dressed in red, the symbolic color of this movement, protesters conveyed their unified message against the steep living costs impacting their communities.
‘We suffer from the high cost of products imported from France, which can be as much as 20% to 300% or 400% too expensive, we don't understand this exaggerated price differential, which plunges our populations into total misery," Aude Goussard, Secretary of RPPRAC, stated.
"We're fed up, we left Martinique because the Minister for Overseas France told us he wouldn't come under pressure, even though our wallets were depressed, so we've come to Paris hoping to meet him peacefully, and in the meantime, the people are going with us until we get the feeling, for once, that the French overseas territories are being heard," said another protester, Aude Goussard.
The demonstration was heavily monitored by police, with organisers reporting no incidents during the event.
This protest comes at a time of ongoing unrest in Martinique, where demonstrations have been ongoing since early September.
Protests persist despite a recent agreement between local officials, business leaders, and the French government to reduce prices by 20% on 6,000 supermarket items.