Martinique coat of arms

The coat of arms of Martinique , a French overseas department and a French overseas region , shows a white, coiled snake in all fields in the blue shield crossed by a white cross .

meaning

It is very similar to the French merchant flag before 1789. The L-shaped snakes are probably an allusion to the "L" of Lucia, since Martinique was originally administered jointly with St. Lucia . The snake is a species of the American lanceolatus ( Bothrops lanceolatus ), a viper native to Martinique.

criticism

The local independence party Mouvement des Démocrates et des Ecologistes pour une Martinique Indépendante sees the use of the old coat of arms as a symbol of racism , since it was also used as a flag on slave ships and is attached to the uniforms of the gendarmerie as a coat of arms.

Web links

Commons : Martinique Coat of Arms - Collection of images, videos and audio files