A little over a year after the riots of December 1959 which had three dead and many injured in Fort de France, as in Lamentin March 24, 1961, Martinique 3 are killed and more than twenty wounded the bullets of the guns of French colonial forces of repression.
It should be remembered that this period was that of decolonization in Africa, especially where many countries under French colonial rule gained independence.
This is the time when courageous, Algerians fighting the arms to regain their sovereignty.
The colonial power is afraid of Martinique also not emancipated from the colonial rule. Especially as the national claim begins to speak here and in emigration.
So he took the order in October 1960 to silence those he considers dangerous to its system, it would take on Dufond, Guitteaud, Mauvois, Nicolas.
On March 61, farm workers were on strike to demand wage increases in poverty that they were paid, as well as improvements in working conditions and payment of wages.
This March 24, as usual workers gather in the town of Lamentin, who was then an important center of culture of cane and sugar production. They also went from house to house to convince the workers to take strike action, which the colonial authorities and békés trying to prevent.
During the morning the police arrested three union leaders they took him to Fort de France, the workers remain mobilized throughout the day calling for the release of their comrades.
One member of the family Aubery, responsible for the murder of Andrew ALIKI in 1934, which holds most of the plantations of Lamentin, has lead several times workers where they are collected.
Comes a time when the strikers react.
Believing themselves threatened Aubery takes refuge in a nearby house. The workers take a stand before the house denouncing the arrogance beke and demanding the release of their comrades who had committed no crime.
In the early evening while the unionists who were taken to Fort de France were back to the Lamentin, the riot police stationed near the church, without anything warranted, decide to fire without warning on a crowd made up mostly people out of the prayer of Lent in the church.
All those who fell were met with bullets in the back as they walked away from the church to reach their homes. There are 3 deaths: MARIE-Calixte, Laurencin, VALID.
This is a massacre perpetrated by those who would not tolerate any resistance to the brutal capitalist exploitation exerted by békés, no challenge to the totalitarian colonial force, who wanted to scare the population it claims no.
In his speech at the funeral of the victims, "three graves" George Gratia, Communist mayor, denounced the conduct of the colonial authorities, and the ferocity of the repression against the workers who were demanding bread and who was given the lead .
For this speech, he was pursued by the French government and has been suspended from office by the colonial justice in his service.
48 years later, we must remember this episode in the history of the labor movement, this sad chapter in our history, too often hidden, ignored, falsified in the interests of the colonizer.
Yes we need to inform our children what were the struggles of workers, what are the victims of colonial violence perpetrated in our country always.
SOURCE: http://www.lenaif.com/
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