France sends more police, extends curfew in restive Caribbean territory

FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of Pointe-a-Pitre downtown after violent demonstrations which broke out over COVID-19 protocols, in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, November 22, 2021. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo/File Photo

PARIS (Reuters) - The French government will send police reinforcements, including an elite SWAT team, and extend a curfew in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe after two weeks of unrest, the overseas territories minister said on Monday.

Police have been shot at and stores looted in protests against plans to make vaccination for health workers compulsory, which have fanned long-running grievances over living standards and the relationship with Paris.