French state official’s residence attacked during protests in Martinique

PARIS (Reuters) – The official residence of France’s most senior representative on the Caribbean island of Martinique suffered an arson attack last night, said the local prosecutor’s office, as protests against COVID-19 protocols continued to hit the overseas territory.

The local prosecutor’s office said masked protesters had set fire to the gate of the official residence of the prefect, the most senior representative of the French central state in Martinique, but no major damage had ensued.

Confirming earlier remarks by Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, the prosecutor also said police officers had been attacked, with one officer suffering serious injuries.

French media company Altice said in a separate statement that journalists from news channel BFM TV, RMC radio, Agence France Presse and the ABACA agency had also been attacked.

Authorities on the Caribbean island of Martinique ordered a curfew on Thursday after protesters looted shops and set up burning barricades as demonstrations against COVID-19 protocols spread across France’s overseas’ territories.

(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)