I appreciate all the reasoned and thoughtful responses to this incident. The rest....

I will say this. I support the protests and I also see the forest thru the trees and understand that some tourists were scared, ticked, may not come back, may give bad reviews. That's the risk you take, and I think it was worth it. If it helps the overall governance, economy, and well being of ALL of French st Martin, not just those coming from France, then that will be a benefit for tourists in the long run. So I'm down for some short term pain for some long term gain.

I was born and raised in the states, but my entire family is from SXM and my rents live on the French side. So I have a unique perspective on all things related to the rock.