PARIS, France - February 19, 2009 - Violent demonstrations against high prices and low wages on the French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe left one man dead on Tuesday night.

There were fears that unrest could spread to mainland France.

Nicolas Sarkozy, French president, will chair a crisis meeting today with ministers, local politicians and officials to discuss ways of easing tensions and alleviating hardship on the islands, which has been aggravated by the global economic downturn.

Mr. Sarkozy is expected to announce an aid package for France's overseas territories, which have long suffered from higher unemployment and greater poverty than the mainland, conditions that are set to deteriorate.

Paris sent police reinforcements to Guadeloupe yesterday to stop the violence from spiralling out of control and exacerbating social tensions on the mainland, which have deepened as the economy sinks into recession. The government appealed for calm after protesters in Guadeloupe erected barricades and opened fire on the police.

One man was killed and several police officers were injured.

The protesters want the government to subsidize wage rises and drive down prices kept high by long-standing monopolies, some dating from the colonial era.