Macron’s go to to New Caledonia: Police shoot man

New Caledonia is rocked by unrest. Clashes with police escalate throughout Emmanuel Macron’s go to. A person is shot.

Police within the French abroad territory of New Caledonia, which was hit by unrest, have shot and killed a person. Two policemen had been bodily attacked by “a bunch of about 15 people” after which one among them fired his weapon, prosecutor Yves Dupas mentioned on Friday. The incident occurred throughout a go to by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, to the archipelago. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal spoke of an “extraordinarily unstable” scenario.

In line with the prosecutor, the police officer was taken into custody and an investigation was launched. It is a widespread process in France in such circumstances.

The unrest within the abroad territory, the place seven individuals have now been killed, has been ongoing for greater than per week. A curfew through the evening applies. The federal government has additionally blocked the web service TikTok.

President Macron traveled to New Caledonia on Thursday to calm the disaster there. Earlier than returning to Paris on Friday, Macron informed reporters he wished “a message of order” and “a return to calm, as a result of this isn’t the Wild West.” He demanded that each one roadblocks arrange through the protests be eliminated “instantly.”

The riots had been sparked by a proposed change within the electoral legislation for provincial elections. The unique inhabitants of the archipelago, which accounts for round 40 p.c of the full, worry a discount of their affect in comparison with the French on the mainland who’ve settled in New Caledonia.

Christian Tein of the CCAT group, which advocates for New Caledonia’s independence and is organizing the present protests, promised on Friday that the roadblocks can be “relaxed a bit” in order that gasoline may very well be delivered and medication.