Christian Tein, one of the pro-independence Kanak leaders in New Caledonia, called on his supporters to continue to resist the constitutional reform that the French government is trying to impose on the Kanak people from 17,000 kilometers away.
Tein, who leads the pro-independence Coordination of Field Action (CCAT) in New Caledonia, addressed his supporters on the social media platform Facebook.
Tein stated that there was serious repression against the Kanak people in the neighborhoods on the island and that the leadership of the Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) and French President Emmanuel Macron met for more than 2 hours when he arrived in New Caledonia on May 23.
Stating that they expressed their opposition to constitutional reform and the re-colonization of New Caledonia, Tein pointed out that the issue of increasing the number of voters on the island should be put on the table again.
Tein stated that Macron came to the island to express what he wanted and called on his supporters to "continue to resist" against constitutional reform.
"We continue to mobilize and we continue every (kind of) resistance in the neighborhoods," Tein said, asking Kanaks to be careful for their own lives.
Tein continued:
"There is a lot of pain, a lot of issues here. It is necessary to go to the end, but in a coordinated, structured and organized way to achieve our goals. Our main goal is the full sovereignty of our country.
Tein emphasized that CCAT has never made an attempt on people's lives and called on the French state to release CCAT officials from house arrest.
The process that led New Caledonia to the State of Emergency
Pro-independence supporters in New Caledonia, who opposed the French government's constitutional reform initiative that would cause the French government to break the power of the local people, took action on May 13.
The French government dispatched a large number of police and gendarmes to the region to carry out operations against the pro-independence supporters mobilized in various points of the island, especially in the capital Noumea.
On May 15, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced that the social media platform TikTok was banned and a state of emergency (OHAL) was declared on the island.
In order for the constitutional reform that will increase the number of French voters on the island to take effect, it must be adopted by the Congress, where the two wings of the French Parliament meet together.
