Violent demonstrations and detentions linked to proposed constitutional alterations in New Caledonia.
Protests have turned violent in New Caledonia, a French territory in the Pacific, due to proposed changes to electoral laws. On Tuesday night, protestors burned vehicles, looted shops, and even fired at security forces, injuring at least 54 officers, according to France's Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. He also confirmed 82 arrests in the past two days.
AFP news agency received word of two car dealerships and a bottle factory being set ablaze in the capital Nouméa. The cities of Dumbéa and Mont-Dore also saw supermarkets being looted.
In response to these protests, the authorities imposed a nightly curfew and forbade public gatherings. Schools and universities were closed indefinitely. The New Caledonian government encouraged "reason and calm" and asked residents to "show responsibility."
The public unrest is connected to a constitutional reform identified by the French government for New Caledonia, which would expand the electorate in provincial elections. Before this reform, only islanders who had lived on the island for the past 25 years could vote in provincial elections - a group representing nearly 20% of the population. France promised to give more power to New Caledonia in the Nouméa Agreement of 1998. There were three referendums held, asking if the territory should remain part of France, and the residents rejected independence. The independence movement does not accept these results and fears that this electoral reform could benefit pro-French politicians.
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Source: www.ntv.de
