Elie Domota, leader of the LKP collective, was arrested and taken into custody Thursday, December 30 during a demonstration against the health pass and the vaccination obligation in Guadeloupe, AFP learned from the Pointe-à-Pitre prosecutor's office .
The trade unionist, leader of the 2009 demonstrations, and member of the "
collective of organizations in struggle
" was "
arrested
" and "
taken into custody
" at the beginning of the afternoon for "
willful violence in a meeting on a person responsible for the "public authority
", told AFP Patrick Desjardins, prosecutor of the Republic of Pointe-à-Pitre.
Read also Guadeloupe: anti-health pass protesters leave the regional council
On the images of local television Canal 10, Elie Domota first appears advancing on a road with other demonstrators having seized barriers, while the police, with tear gas bombs , try to stop their advance on the roundabout of Petit Pérou in Abymes. Not far away is one of the island's main shopping centers. In the following images, demonstrators force their way through and Elie Domota appears on the ground, the gendarmes handcuffing him behind his back.
In a statement, the UGTG union (General Union of Workers of Guadeloupe) considered that “
the arrest of Elie Domota is a provocation
”.
This arrest comes as tension remains high in this French overseas department, shaken by a social crisis since early November, with first and foremost the vaccine obligation.
Read also In Guadeloupe, the social movement against the vaccine obligation and the health pass is running out of steam
Just before Christmas, anti-health pass demonstrators occupied the Guadeloupe Regional Council. In the aftermath of this action, the French government ruled out any negotiation aimed at "
repealing a law of the Republic
", in this case that requiring health personnel and firefighters to be vaccinated in order to work. On Wednesday, the Minister of Health Olivier Véran was however in favor of an amendment tabled by the deputy Justine Bénin - and adopted in committee to the National Assembly - asking for the postponement of the date of entry into force of the future vaccine pass in the overseas territories. "
We do not want to re-ignite a social conflict
" in the West Indies, justified the minister.
Guadeloupe, where resistance to vaccination is strong, is facing a resurgence of the epidemic.
The number of new cases of Covid has almost tripled in one week and continues to progress in a "
worrying
" manner, the ARS and the prefecture announced on Wednesday.
