New Caledonia riots: inequalities, lack of indigenous voice expose ‘failures’ of French democratic system

France declared a state of emergency for the territory and has deployed armed forces to the island to quell the unrest that had led to blocked roads, a closed airport, six deaths, and stranded Australians, New Zealanders and other nationals.

Tensions between New Caledonia and its colonial master France have spanned decades, but they have reached a tipping point, according to Patrick Kaiku, a political-science teaching fellow at the University of Papua New Guinea.

“Violence is not new in New Caledonia, and even if the riots are to subside, the fear is that they can easily shift to small-scale revolts and passive resistance, especially in the North Province,” Kaiku said, adding that the new laws would consolidate the voting power of France loyalists.

“Given the tone of loyalists and French politicians, pro-independence groups will not back down. I don’t see an end to this latest crisis.”

Last week, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin accused Azerbaijan of stirring tensions in New Caledonia after the emergence of Azerbaijani flags alongside Kanak symbols in the protests. Azerbaijan, nearly 14,000km away from New Caledonia, denied allegations of foreign interference.

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‘It’s a civil war’: French New Caledonia declares state of emergency amid pro-independence protests

All of these, however, were unnecessary “noise” to drown out the legitimate concerns of Kanaks in their dealings with Paris, Kaiku said.

“Evoking the spectre of foreign interests and influence in the New Caledonia riots is a convenient ploy to sidestep the simmering tensions that have been building up since the 1998 Nouméa Accord and the demands for an electoral roll that is representative of the voters in the New Caledonian electorate,” he said.

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