Protesters Dance on Streets on 1st Day of General Strike in French Guiana

A jubilant atmosphere could be felt on the streets of French Guiana as a general strike kicked off on Monday, March 27, to protest record crime levels and high unemployment rates in the territory.

The strike was called by a collective known as The 500 Brothers, which formed in February after the murder of a resident in a Cayenne neighborhood. Members are easily recognizable by their black outfits and masks. In the last week, they have closed the Cayenne town hall and blocked roads leading to the European Space Agency’s Kourou space centre, forcing delay of a rocket launch.

This footage shows protesters dancing on a roundabout in Cayenne on Monday, ahead of planned nationwide protests on Tuesday.

The group has the support of 37 unions and has called for the French government to send its most senior politicians to the territory to address the crisis. On Monday, French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said he would send a ministerial team by the end of the week. Credit: Facebook/Dieu m’est témoin via Storyful