New Caledonia riots

[lfromnj]

Natives want to be independent but demand France keep funding them
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/violence-in-new-caledonia-subsides-slightly-as-france-sends-reinforcements-for-security/ar-BB1mzcdJ?ocid=BingNewsSearch

If they can't get independence they demand voting restrictions for French immigrants despite the fact they can fully immigrate to France and vote there.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I stand with the Macron administration against Kanak blood-and-soil ethnic supremacism.

[Antonio the Sixth]

This is a deeply concerning and saddening situation. I have family living in New Caledonia and above all I want them to be safe and secure.

As far as how we got to this point, there is plenty of blame to go around. Certainly the independentist position is becoming increasingly untenable after losing three referendums and with a growing share of residents being disenfranchised under the Noumea Accords. Still, at the end of the day the French state is in no position to just bowl over Kanaks' legitimate fears of being increasingly marginalized in their own lands, and there has to be a comprehensive solution to longstanding postcolonial dynamics. These issues aren't going to be solved by deploying the army or banning TikTok, and it's high time the incompetent blowhards in government take a page from Rocard and Jospin and actually take the effort to negotiate a compromise everyone can live with. This situation is too serious to think about it in slogans.

[parochial boy]

This is a deeply concerning and saddening situation. I have family living in New Caledonia and above all I want them to be safe and secure.

As far as how we got to this point, there is plenty of blame to go around. Certainly the independentist position is becoming increasingly untenable after losing three referendums and with a growing share of residents being disenfranchised under the Noumea Accords. Still, at the end of the day the French state is in no position to just bowl over Kanaks' legitimate fears of being increasingly marginalized in their own lands, and there has to be a comprehensive solution to longstanding postcolonial dynamics. These issues aren't going to be solved by deploying the army or banning TikTok, and it's high time the incompetent blowhards in government take a page from Rocard and Jospin and actually take the effort to negotiate a compromise everyone can live with. This situation is too serious to think about it in slogans.

I think that’s sort of the thing though, that you can’t all the third referendum a legitimate democratic excercise. Macron and Guerini rushed it through to get it out of the way as quick as possible, without going through the necessary consultation with the interested parties. As a result of which the independentists boycotted it, feeing somewhat understandably that they were not being given a fair hearing and a result they do not feel that the Nouméa process is complete.

Of course updating the electoral register is a democratic necessity, and it was always supposed to happen post Nouméa. But if Macron had actually gone into this process without his entirely predictable sense of entitled ignorance and high minded contempt and seen Noumea through rather than pissing all over the process then we wouldn’t be here right now.

[Antonio the Sixth]

This is a deeply concerning and saddening situation. I have family living in New Caledonia and above all I want them to be safe and secure.

As far as how we got to this point, there is plenty of blame to go around. Certainly the independentist position is becoming increasingly untenable after losing three referendums and with a growing share of residents being disenfranchised under the Noumea Accords. Still, at the end of the day the French state is in no position to just bowl over Kanaks' legitimate fears of being increasingly marginalized in their own lands, and there has to be a comprehensive solution to longstanding postcolonial dynamics. These issues aren't going to be solved by deploying the army or banning TikTok, and it's high time the incompetent blowhards in government take a page from Rocard and Jospin and actually take the effort to negotiate a compromise everyone can live with. This situation is too serious to think about it in slogans.

I think that’s sort of the thing though, that you can’t all the third referendum a legitimate democratic excercise. Macron and Guerini rushed it through to get it out of the way as quick as possible, without going through the necessary consultation with the interested parties. As a result of which the independentists boycotted it, feeing somewhat understandably that they were not being given a fair hearing and a result they do not feel that the Nouméa process is complete.

Of course updating the electoral register is a democratic necessity, and it was always supposed to happen post Nouméa. But if Macron had actually gone into this process without his entirely predictable sense of entitled ignorance and high minded contempt and seen Noumea through rather than pissing all over the process then we wouldn’t be here right now.

Oh for sure, the government made a huge blunder rushing the last referendum, in typical FBM fashion. But at the end of the day the boycott was the independentists' choice, and I think it was also a huge mistake. There was no reason not to fight it out, especially with how close 2020 had been. I hate to have a "both sides" commentary but the situation is nuanced and serious enough that I am willing to say both sides need to do better here.

[CumbrianLefty]

Yes, just boycotting the referendum never looked likely to work.

[Storr]

France accuses Azerbaijan of foamening riots in New Caledonia

"Speaking to POLITICO, a French intelligence official granted anonymity to discuss sensitive issues of national security, said that “we’ve detected activities from Russia and Azerbaijan in New Caledonia for weeks, even a few months. They’re pushing the narrative of France being a colonialist state.”"

"Azerbaijan has even founded the Baku Initiative Group, bringing together 14 political movements across the former French Empire in the name of decolonization. The group issued a statement Thursday in which they accused Paris of “infringing upon the Kanak people’s right to self-determination by expanding the electorate to keep them a minority in their own homeland.”"

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

France accuses Azerbaijan of foamening riots in New Caledonia

"Speaking to POLITICO, a French intelligence official granted anonymity to discuss sensitive issues of national security, said that “we’ve detected activities from Russia and Azerbaijan in New Caledonia for weeks, even a few months. They’re pushing the narrative of France being a colonialist state.”"

"Azerbaijan has even founded the Baku Initiative Group, bringing together 14 political movements across the former French Empire in the name of decolonization. The group issued a statement Thursday in which they accused Paris of “infringing upon the Kanak people’s right to self-determination by expanding the electorate to keep them a minority in their own homeland.”"

This spinoff of Caucusus Wars: Fear and Loathing in Between the Black and Caspian has such crazy storylines.

[CumbrianLefty]

Sorry if this is an obvious question, but why exactly would Azerbaijan get involved in Pacific politics?

[Storr]

Sorry if this is an obvious question, but why exactly would Azerbaijan get involved in Pacific politics?

Because it's mad at France for supporting Armenia.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Sorry if this is an obvious question, but why exactly would Azerbaijan get involved in Pacific politics?

Because it's mad at France for supporting Armenia.

Tit-for-tat, so it's called.

[Wiswylfen]

Azerbaijan is really making an effort to outdo its genocidal ally in the ankle-biter rankings. It's like North Korea supporting AREMA except ten times as stupid.

[Open Source Intelligence]

France accuses Azerbaijan of foamening riots in New Caledonia

"Speaking to POLITICO, a French intelligence official granted anonymity to discuss sensitive issues of national security, said that “we’ve detected activities from Russia and Azerbaijan in New Caledonia for weeks, even a few months. They’re pushing the narrative of France being a colonialist state.”"

"Azerbaijan has even founded the Baku Initiative Group, bringing together 14 political movements across the former French Empire in the name of decolonization. The group issued a statement Thursday in which they accused Paris of “infringing upon the Kanak people’s right to self-determination by expanding the electorate to keep them a minority in their own homeland.”"

This spinoff of Caucusus Wars: Fear and Loathing in Between the Black and Caspian has such crazy storylines.

Was always under the impression the foreign state that stirred things up in New Caledonia was China.

[Antonio the Sixth]

So Macron visited New Caledonia yesterday and agreed to postpone the electoral reform in order to give space for negotiation. He also won't prolong the state of emergency, and has said some performative stuff about reining in inflation but hasn't really announced anything tangible. Since then one more person died, bringing the total death toll to 7 so far. An appeal to stop the TikTok ban was also rejected by the Council of State.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Azerbaijan is really making an effort to outdo its genocidal ally in the ankle-biter rankings. It's like North Korea supporting AREMA except ten times as stupid.

Which one?

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

Colonialism is so passé, France should get out of New Caledonia the same way it got out of Algeria. The truth of the matter is that this all goes back to De Gaulle stripping the territories of much of their local autonomy and planned further moves towards self-governance while systemically encouraging migration from the mainland to artificially grow a power base.

I don't quite know what else to say, I will always err on the side of the indigenous peoples and while I don't believe that militancy would be helpful, nor successful, and that especially any French people who have been there now for decades should have rights it's obvious the Kanak have legitimate grievance's and French colonialism has always been particularly insidious in this manner by trying to replace the natives.