Yesterday, 17 trade unions on the French territorial island of Martinique called for a general strike to show their opposition to a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers and the imposition of France’s coronavirus health pass.

But protests quickly turned into Guadeloupe-style violent riots with reports of police and firefighters in Martinique‘s capital city of Fort-de-France coming under gunfire.

The situation escalated when the strikers were reportedly angered at not being received by the governor of Martinique at the end of their first day of demonstrations.

While no injuries have been reported, law enforcement and emergency services personnel were repeatedly targeted by gunfire as they intervened to put out blazes on public highways in the city of Fort-de-France last night.

According to Martinique‘s public security spokesman Joël Larcher, police officers and fire crews were targeted by gunfire, and several vehicles were set alight during the night’s unrest.

Rioters have blocked roads around the French Caribbean island and have made several demands of the government, including an end to the COVID-19 vaccination mandate for caregivers, as well as broader requests such as an increase in salaries and a reduction in fuel prices.

Martinique violence has spread from nearby Guadeloupe, where chaos descended after labor unions organized walkouts last week to challenge COVID-19 restrictions there, including the introduction of mandatory anti-coronavirus jabs for health workers.