(Bloomberg) -- The island of Martinique expanded a curfew and other restrictions in an effort to control escalating protests that forced France to send in anti-riot police over the weekend.
The local government is restricting the retail sale of fuel and explosives in three municipalities, including the capital of Fort-de-France, according to measures published Tuesday. The authorities also expanded a curfew that has been in place since last week.
At a press conference, Martinique Prefect Jean-Christophe Bouvier said that the demonstrations have so far resulted in 44 vehicles burned, 59 businesses vandalized and 11 police officers injured.
The local government had already tried banning protests and requested help from France’s anti-riot police, the Companies for Republican Security, which arrived over the weekend. But demonstrations continued on the island of about 350,000, with traffic paralyzed on Tuesday after two large unions joined the effort, the Associated Press reported.
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