Several international rocket and satellite launches were postponed, and March 28 saw the largest demonstration ever held in French Guiana.
French Guiana is fraught with tensions between different communities (indigenous peoples, descendants of African slaves, immigrants from Brazil, Suriname and Haiti, and Europeans) as well as an economic crisis and a rise in insecurity.
[7] The strikes began in Kourou on March 20, 2017,[8] to oppose the privatization of a hospital run by the Red Cross and the rise in insecurity.
[8] Protesters blocked roads, which led to the cancellation of flights from the Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport to Paris.
"[15] The demonstrators carried the flag of French Guiana and placards reading "Nou bon ké sa", which means "enough is enough" in Guianan Créole.
[15] On April 3, 2017, as rocket launches from the Guiana Space Centre were suspended, "Europe's first high-power, all-electric satellite", Eutelsat's Eutelsat-172b, was returned to the Airbus factory near Toulouse until further notice.
[17] In the evening, 30 labour union leaders visited the Guiana Space Centre to meet its director, Didier Faivre, and began to occupy the premises until their demands are met.
[21] On April 7, 2017, protesters were waiting to meet the prefect of French Guiana, Martin Jaeger, but their appointment was cancelled.
[26] On April 21, the French government signed an agreement with protesters authorizing an emergency relief of up to 2.1 billion euros, which includes funds for security, education, healthcare, and business aid.
[33] Meanwhile, the local chapter of the Mouvement des Entreprises de France called for an end to the road blocks.