Violent protests against France in the overseas territory of New Caledonia
Published: Tuesday, May 14th 2024, 06:30
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There have been violent protests by independence supporters in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia. The separatists are angry about a planned constitutional amendment by the government in Paris, which would give thousands of French voters in the island state in the South Pacific the right to vote and therefore more political influence. There have been demonstrations and clashes with security forces, particularly in the suburbs of the capital Nouméa, as the public broadcaster 1ère Nouvelle-Calédonie reported on Tuesday.
Several stores and cars have gone up in flames since Monday. Eyewitnesses reported looting and arrests on social networks. Schools and public services in the island state are to remain closed for the next few days. French High Commissioner Louis Le Franc announced that several police officers had been injured and that he had requested reinforcements from Paris to maintain law and order.
New Caledonia is important to Paris geopolitically, militarily and because of the nickel deposits there. The inhabitants voted to remain part of France in three referendums in 2018, 2020 and 2021. However, the independence movement boycotted the last vote and announced that it would not accept the result. The Kanak population group in particular - New Caledonia's indigenous inhabitants - have long hoped for their own state.
Talks on a new status for the overseas territory were resumed in France last year. In July, President Emmanuel Macron traveled to Nouméa and announced a constitutional reform specific to New Caledonia in a speech to numerous supporters. Paris hopes to conclude a new agreement in the coming months - but the fronts have hardened.
The protests are about a plan to give the right to vote to around 25,000 voters of French descent who have lived in New Caledonia continuously for over ten years. Until now, the votes of all residents who had not lived in New Caledonia before 1998 were "frozen".
The territory, with a population of around 270,000, had already gained extensive autonomy through the 1998 Nouméa Agreement. As part of the decolonization of New Caledonia, it was agreed to hold up to three votes on independence. A new status is now supposed to be found by June.
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