Protesters Burn Cars, Wreck Shops On French Island Tree trunks and smoking car wrecks were strewn across streets in the island`s largest town Pointe-a-Pitre.

Protesters ransacked shops and burned cars in Guadeloupe overnight as a strike over the cost of living escalated, and one senior local official said the French Caribbean island was "on the verge of revolt".
Tree trunks and smoking car wrecks were strewn across streets in the island's largest town Pointe-a-Pitre and in other areas including Sainte-Rose in the north after a night of clashes between police and protesters. No injuries were reported.

"This has already caught fire," Victorin Lurel, the Socialist president of the regional council, told France Info radio, adding that the island was "on the verge of revolt."

"There is a tense stand off between the security forces and demonstrators," he said.

Guadeloupe, a French overseas region, has been brought to a standstill for nearly a month by strikes and demonstrations over high prices for food and other necessities.

The situation has degenerated over the past two days as protesters have set up road blocks in different parts of the island and police have made dozens of arrests.

The demonstrations, coordinated by an alliance of around 50 unions and associations known as "Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon" (LKP) -- Stand Up Against Exploitation in local dialect -- had been peaceful.

But the tone grew angrier recently as the government in Paris has refused to budge on a demand for a 200 euro ($252.9) monthly rise for low-paid workers.

SPILLOVER FEARS

In Paris, where the government has become worried about a spillover to mainland France, Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie issued a statement appealing for "calm, responsibility and restraint."

"Everyone has a legitimate right to express themselves, including through demonstrations, but this right can under no circumstances affect security and public order," she said.

Guadeloupe depends on costly imports for much of its requirements and prices for many staples are far higher than in mainland France, while salaries are generally lower and unemployment is high.

The crisis has been sharpened by the structure of the island's economy, in which the small minority of "beke" or white families, many the descendants of colonial settlers, control most of the island's businesses.

Efforts by the minister for overseas territories Yves Jego to find a solution have so far failed and French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called a special meeting of deputies from overseas territories this week.

On Monday night, groups of hooded protesters blocked roads at several points around the town of Le Gosier on the south coast of the island, burning rubbish bins and pallets.

There were similar scenes at Les Abymes, near Pointe-a-Pitre and at Sainte-Rose, with stones thrown at passing cars and armoured police vehicles.

Around 50 arrests were made on Monday although most of those detained were released as a large crowd gathered outside the main police station in Pointe-a-Pitre.