“Rebellion in the Pacific Ocean colonies” could also be the title of this Editorial. A title that would reflect very well the atmosphere of the last few months in New Caledonia (Kanaky, in the local language), a French colony since 1853. The autochthonous population (Kanaks), mostly pro-independence, has become recently fed up with French imperialist policies and held large protests in the towns of the archipelago. Massive demonstrations, strikes, serious riots, hundreds of arrests, deaths, deportations of pro-independence leaders …. France has tightened repression and limited fundamental rights, imposing an almost emergency regime in the archipelago. Paris has no scruples about disregarding “French democratic values” when the unity of the empire is at stake.
The bloody wars in Ukraine and Gaza have, to a large extent, hidden from us the war in New Caledonia, which for us Basques has a special connotation, since it involves one of the two states that oppress us. On the other hand, this conflict has exposed France’s imperialist behavior to the world.
This is a conflict with deep roots. For almost two hundred years, France has exercised a savage colonization on the Kanak people. A political, cultural, economic, sociological and demographic colonization. A colonization that has left tragic consequences: today, only a third of the inhabitants of New Caledonia know one of the indigenous languages of the archipelago. And successive waves of French settlers have turned the indigenous population into an ethnic minority in their own country. At this point, France has used the same technique as all the imperialist powers of the world: demographic movements to better control the nations it oppresses. What the fascist Mussolini did in South Tyrol or the genocidal Stalin in the Baltic republics, what China or Israel do today in Tibet or Palestine, respectively, that is what France does: to reduce the native population by massively sending new settlers. Nothing new under the sun.
And it is precisely the issue of the settlers that lies behind the rebellion led by the Kanak people. Because the French government has just made a legal change so that the new French settlers can vote in a hypothetical referendum of self-determination. The New Caledonian independence movement is demanding that France withdraw this new law to modify the electoral roll. This legal change would allow French settlers who have been in the archipelago for at least 10 years to vote.
Previously, only settlers registered before 1998, and their descendants, could vote. According to the pro-independence movement, with the change in the census France wants to take for granted the massive immigration it has promoted in recent years, which is unacceptable.
The massive independence protests that took place in Kanaky in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s of the 20th century were softened after the signing of the Nouemea Agreements in 1988. That year, the French government, the independence leaders and the unionists of the archipelago signed the aforementioned pact to find a solution to the political conflict. The signed pact granted a wide political autonomy to New Caledonia, and also the possibility of carrying out up to three referendums of self-determination, if in the first two the result was a negative majority. A novel formula in the processes of decolonization.
The first one was organized in 2018. With a turnout of 81%, the negative vote for independence was 56%, and the positive vote 44%. It opened the possibility of a second referendum.
That one was called in October 2020. The votes in favor of independence rose, but not enough: 47%. The turnout also rose somewhat, reaching 85%.
The French government called the third referendum a year later, in 2021. But the pro-independence supporters boycotted it, as they did not agree with the date. The result was a low turnout (43%), and the anti-independence vote clearly prevailed.
Since then the relationship between the French government and the Kanak pro-independence parties has worsened considerably. And with the Macron government’s unilateral decision on the census, even more so. Instead of calming tempers, the Macron government has poured more gasoline on the fire. The pro-independence movement has asked for UN mediation.
Our group Naziogintza, as is known, supports the right of all the Peoples of the world to their self-determination and independence. The case of New Caledonia, moreover, is paradigmatic, since it has long been on the UN list for decolonization. The French state must comply with international legality and organize a referendum without tricks or traps, a referendum agreed with the Kanaky pro-independence movement. And, in addition to the referendum, take further steps. Since self-determination is the first condition, but not the only one, for justice to be done. Then, the French state must ask for forgiveness for the savage colonialist policies applied for two hundred years, which have led to the almost total ethnocide of the Kanak. We Basques know very well what we are talking about.
And finally, everything that France has stolen in the last 200 years must be measured, evaluated and returned to the Kanak people, so that even if it is late, justice can be done.
