Dozens of anti-vaccination protesters in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe have attacked a hospital director and other medical staff following recent violent demonstrations against vaccines and Covid-19 restrictions, officials said.
The attack happened on Tuesday outside the University Hospital Centre as police tried to escort the director and other staff elsewhere for safety. The hospital said the director briefly lost consciousness and that the crowd ripped the clothes of the deputy general director and threw urine at both. The car of an executive assistant was also badly damaged, officials said.
A health workers’ union that organised Tuesday’s demonstration and the previous ones that turned violent to protest against vaccine requirements and other measures told local media that members were seeking to recover lost wages after being suspended for refusing to get vaccinated as required by law.
Guadeloupe’s prefect, Alexandre Rochatte, condemned the attacks and said the government would prosecute those responsible.
“These deliberate abuses are unacceptable and intolerable,” he said in a statement.
The island of around 400,000 people has one of the lowest vaccination rates in France, and many oppose France’s Covid-19 health pass, which is required to enter venues serving food, cultural events and sports arenas, and for long-distance travel.
