PROTESTS FLARES UP IN FRENCH PACIFIC TERRITORY
Written by NewsAdmin on June 25, 2024
Protests have flared up in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia with several buildings set on fire, including a police station and a town hall, after pro-independence activists were arrested and taken to France.
The latest round of violence came as France prepares to vote in legislative elections this weekend and support for the far right surges across the country.
Recall that in mid-May, rioting and looting erupted in New Caledonia over an electoral reform plan that Indigenous Kanak people feared would leave them in a permanent minority, putting independence hopes definitively out of reach.
The unrest killed nine people and caused damage estimated at more than 1.5 billion euros.
In recent days, French authorities had insisted that Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia, was back under their control.
But violence erupted again after seven pro-independence activists accused of orchestrating the deadly riots were sent to France for pre-trial detention over the weekend.