The tension eased Wednesday, November 10 on the island of Saint-Martin, shaken for eight days by a social movement whose spokespersons were received by the prefect, after the restoration of traffic on a major road blocked by the protesters, according to an AFP correspondent.
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The gendarmes intervened at 5 am to clear the obstacle erected since Thursday in Quartier d'Orléans, a sensitive area of the island, marking the end of the ordeal for many motorists. Three arrests were made during the intervention of the gendarmes. Another axis remains blocked. At both roadblocks, residents and tourists were racketed. Later in the day, the spokespersons of the protest movement were received by the prefect Serge Gouteyron in the presence of the elected representatives of Saint-Martin.
In Quartier d'Orléans, where the tension was most palpable, the collective is asking for the establishment of a post office, Saur (drinking water) and EDF terminals, and the generalization of high-speed internet.
At Sandy Ground, the collective calls for the reopening of a post office, the installation of sidewalks, the repair of the wastewater evacuation system, the construction of a fruit and vegetable and fish market, in place of local garbage cans and high speed internet.
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In general, and for the entire territory, the collective is calling for resources and infrastructure, degraded since the passage of Hurricane Irma in September 2017. An observatory for price control and against the high cost of living is demanded and related questions education, free access to all the beaches in the territory, and access to property were also discussed.