Due to the ongoing unrest, French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron went to the French overseas territory of New Caledonia to, in his own words, ‘help the people’ and mediate. But the next death occurred a day after his departure.
A 48-year-old man was shot dead by the police on Friday, several local media reported, citing the Public Prosecution Service. One station reported that two officers were attacked by a group of about fifteen people. One of the police officers then used his weapon.
Riots have claimed seven lives so far
The Public Prosecution Service was not immediately available for comment. A total of seven people have been killed so far in the unrest in the French overseas territory, which has been going on for almost two weeks.
The riots that broke out more than a week ago, which left several dead and countless injured, were the result of a planned constitutional reform by the government in Paris. This is intended to give thousands of citizens of French descent the right to vote and therefore more political influence if they have lived there for at least ten years. Supporters of independence for the archipelago oppose this.
Indigenous people fear their influence
Protesters fear that electoral reform implemented in faraway Paris will reduce the influence of indigenous Kanaks, who make up 40 percent of the island’s 270,000 residents. New Caledonia is particularly important for France militarily and geopolitically, but also because of its large nickel reserves.
Source: Krone
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