New Caledonia independence group demands Indigenous leader’s release from custody in mainland France

NICE, France (AP) — Members of a pro-independence movement in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia demanded on Monday the “release and immediate return” of the Indigenous Kanak leader who was flown to mainland France for pretrial detention after recent deadly unrest.

Christian Tein, a leader of the movement known as The Field Action Coordination Unit, was flown out overnight Saturday, along with six other activists whom French authorities accuse of orchestrating the two weeks of unrest in May that left nine people dead, caused widespread destruction and led French President Emmanuel Macron to make an emergency visit.

“We demand the release and immediate return of our brothers and sisters to be judged in their homeland,” the movement said in an statement. It condemned the activists’ arrest and their transfer into custody 17,000 kilometers (10,500 miles) away and accused Macron’s government of deploying “colonial tactics” in New Caledonia.

The Kanak people have long sought to break free from France, which first took the Pacific archipelago in 1853 and granted citizenship to all Kanaks in 1957. The latest violence flared on May 13 in response to attempts by Macron’s government to amend the French Constitution and change voting lists in New Caledonia, which Kanaks feared would further marginalize them.

France declared a state of emergency two days later, rushing in 3,500 troops to help police quell the clashes, looting and arson.

Tein and nine other pro-independence leaders were placed under house arrest when the violence started. Tein was among pro-independence leaders who met with Macron during his visit to New Caledonia last month. After the meeting, the Kanak leader appealed to protesters to “maintain all (forms)