4 people have been killed and hundreds injured! France: Implementation of state of emergency, riots broke out
The French government announced on the 15th that New Caledonia, an overseas territory located in the South Pacific, would enter a state of emergency for 12 days starting from 5:00 local time on the 16th. Riots broke out in New Caledonia recently, resulting in four deaths and hundreds of injuries.
The unrest was triggered by an electoral reform plan. The French National Assembly passed a constitutional amendment on the 14th that will allow French people who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to obtain the right to vote in provincial elections in the territory. The bill still needs to be approved by a joint meeting of the two houses of the French Parliament before it can be considered complete legislation.
During the French National Assembly's review of the above-mentioned amendments, groups such as the indigenous Kanak people of New Caledonia had strong dissatisfaction, believing that the new law would weaken the proportion of voters who support independence, and serious riots broke out. According to multiple media reports, during the past days of riots, many shops were looted, many buildings and vehicles were burned, and a curfew was imposed in the capital Noumea. Gun battles also broke out between civil defense groups and protesters in the regions of Noumea and Paita.
The French government said the riots had killed four people, including a policeman, and injured more than 300 people. The French government office in Noumea said on the 16th local time that the police detained about 70 people in the past 24 hours, and a total of about 200 "rioters" were detained this week.
The French Ministry of the Interior announced on the 15th that it would dispatch additional law enforcement personnel to New Caledonia, with a total of 2,700 police and gendarmerie deployed. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said the army had been deployed to secure ports and airports to allow police and security forces to focus on combating violence such as looting and arson.
Attar said that "no violence will be tolerated" and that the next priority is to restore order and calm. The implementation of the state of emergency "will allow us to take large-scale measures to restore order."
French President Emmanuel Macron proposed starting a dialogue with relevant parties in New Caledonia on the 16th. New Caledonia's main political parties also issued a joint statement calling on people to return to "calm and rationality."
New Caledonia covers an area of 18,600 square kilometers and consists of New Caledonia Island, the Loyalty Islands and the uninhabited Chesterfield Islands. It is 18,000 kilometers away from the French capital Paris and began about 3,000 years ago. It was settled by some people, became a French colony in 1853, and became a French overseas possession in 1946. In New Caledonia, the indigenous Kanak people account for approximately 41% of the total population.
