Rodrigue Petitot, a prominent leader of cost-of-living protests in Martinique, was released from prison on Friday after receiving a one-year suspended sentence for trespassing on state property.
Petitot, widely known as “Le R,” spearheaded last year’s demonstrations on the Caribbean island, where poverty rates are double those in mainland France, and living costs are significantly higher.
The court found Petitot guilty of pressuring police to allow him into the governor’s residence during a meeting with France’s overseas territories minister, ruling that his actions exceeded the boundaries of free expression. He was also convicted of intimidation and verbal assault.
Supporters gathered outside the tribunal in Fort-de-France, the island’s capital, celebrating the court’s decision. Eddy Arneton, Petitot’s lawyer, described the outcome as “favourable,” noting that his client could have faced up to 20 years in prison.
“You have the right to think, the right to speak, and the right to express it,” Petitot declared after the ruling.
The protests in Martinique are part of broader unrest in French overseas territories. Recently, New Caledonia witnessed tensions over proposals to reduce the voting weight of indigenous Kanak people.
Martinique, colonized by France in 1635, became a French administrative department in 1946, promising equality for its overseas territories. However, economic disparities remain stark, with the island’s economy dominated by families descended from slave plantation owners, who are accused of inflating prices through market control.
In response to these issues, the French lower house of parliament passed a law on Thursday aimed at reducing living costs in overseas territories. The legislation includes measures to increase corporate transparency and limit market monopolies.
Overseas Minister Manuel Valls said the law seeks to address “transparency, justice, equality, and truth,” acknowledging the deep sense of injustice in these regions. Some lawmakers credited Petitot’s movement for driving the changes.