Jacques Bino
Encyclopedia
Jacques Bino was a Guadeloupean
tax agent, activist and trade union
official and representative. Bino was the first person killed during violence associated with the 2009 French Caribbean general strikes
.
Bino was active participant in the first month of the general strikes in Guadeloupe. However, Bino was shot and killed shortly after midnight on Wednesday, February 18, 2009, as he drove home from a protest. Bino approached a group of armed youths who were manning a makeshift barricade in the city of Pointe-à-Pitre
. The crowd opened fire on Bino's car. Bino's car was hit three times by 12-gauge Brenneke-style shotgun slug
s. One of the shotgun blasts came through the front windshield
of the car, striking Bino in the chest and killing him.
There were no police in the area when Bino was killed. Jean-Michel Pretre, a local Guadeloupean prosecutor
, has speculated that the youths, who were operating independently from the official strikes, may have mistaken Bino for a plainclothes police officer when they opened fire. Point-à-Pitre Mayor Jacques Bangou
noted following Bino's death that, "For the past 48 hours the streets have been in the hands of groups of young people, completely out of control."
Bino's murder may have marked a turning point in the general strikes, with both the French government and the LKP union groups beginning to take serious notice of the conflict.
Bino's funeral was held on Sunday, February 22, 2009. His funeral was attended by former French Socialist presidential candidate Ségolène Royal
, who arrived on Saturday to attend his memorial service
. Royal used the solemn occasion to criticize the government of French President Nicolas Sarkozy
saying the government had "abandoned" Guadeloupe and urging it to find “solutions” to the crisis."
Jacques Bino was 50 years old at the time of his murder. He was survived by his wife, Marie-Antoinette Bino, who lives in Pointe-à-Pitre.
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
tax agent, activist and trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
official and representative. Bino was the first person killed during violence associated with the 2009 French Caribbean general strikes
2009 French Caribbean general strikes
The 2009 French Caribbean general strikes began in the French overseas region of Guadeloupe on 20 January 2009, and spread to neighbouring Martinique on 5 February 2009. Both islands are located in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean...
.
Bino was active participant in the first month of the general strikes in Guadeloupe. However, Bino was shot and killed shortly after midnight on Wednesday, February 18, 2009, as he drove home from a protest. Bino approached a group of armed youths who were manning a makeshift barricade in the city of Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre is the largest city of Guadeloupe, an overseas région and département of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a sous-préfecture, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre....
. The crowd opened fire on Bino's car. Bino's car was hit three times by 12-gauge Brenneke-style shotgun slug
Shotgun slug
A shotgun slug is a heavy lead projectile, that may have pre-cut rifling, intended for use in a shotgun and often used for hunting large game. The first effective shotgun slug was introduced by Wilhelm Brenneke in 1898, and his design remains in use today...
s. One of the shotgun blasts came through the front windshield
Windshield
The windshield or windscreen of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike or tram is the front window. Modern windshields are generally made of laminated safety glass, a type of treated glass, which consists of two curved sheets of glass with a plastic layer laminated between them for safety, and are glued...
of the car, striking Bino in the chest and killing him.
There were no police in the area when Bino was killed. Jean-Michel Pretre, a local Guadeloupean prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
, has speculated that the youths, who were operating independently from the official strikes, may have mistaken Bino for a plainclothes police officer when they opened fire. Point-à-Pitre Mayor Jacques Bangou
Jacques Bangou
Jacques Bangou is a Guadeloupean politician. He is the current incumbent mayor of Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe's main city....
noted following Bino's death that, "For the past 48 hours the streets have been in the hands of groups of young people, completely out of control."
Bino's murder may have marked a turning point in the general strikes, with both the French government and the LKP union groups beginning to take serious notice of the conflict.
Bino's funeral was held on Sunday, February 22, 2009. His funeral was attended by former French Socialist presidential candidate Ségolène Royal
Ségolène Royal
Marie-Ségolène Royal , known as Ségolène Royal, is a French politician. She is the president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council, a former member of the National Assembly, a former government minister, and a prominent member of the French Socialist Party...
, who arrived on Saturday to attend his memorial service
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
. Royal used the solemn occasion to criticize the government of French President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
saying the government had "abandoned" Guadeloupe and urging it to find “solutions” to the crisis."
Jacques Bino was 50 years old at the time of his murder. He was survived by his wife, Marie-Antoinette Bino, who lives in Pointe-à-Pitre.