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00:00Bringing traffic to a standstill, taxi drivers in Martinique blocked roads and highways in
00:07a show of solidarity with cost-of-living protests that have rocked the French overseas territory
00:13in recent weeks.
00:14Today, a segment of the population has fallen into extreme poverty, elderly people living
00:20on small pensions and parents who can't feed their children properly.
00:26The protests that began earlier this month have since turned violent, as rioters began
00:30looting businesses and attacking security forces.
00:34Several policemen were injured by gunfire in the past week, leading French authorities
00:39to impose a 9pm curfew on Wednesday.
00:42But while many locals and elected officials have condemned the violence, criticizing a
00:47strategy of chaos, most are also expressing solidarity with the movement and are urging
00:53the French government to take urgent measures to alleviate poverty on the island.
01:01These prices have become unsustainable.
01:04We're seeing middle-class families fall into poverty which is unacceptable.
01:09So we understand the people's anger, and even if we're witnessing violence and degradations,
01:15we must recognize that they are caused by the immense poverty people are facing.
01:23The average salary is much lower in Martinique than in metropolitan France, yet food prices
01:29are up to 40% higher, according to government statistics.