Participants in the march organized every May 1 in Nouméa by USTKE call for the defense of workers. But it is also a question of refusing the thaw of the electoral body as it is taking shape in Parliament, of reacting to the local political situation and of discussing the nickel crisis.
The march started around 9:30 a.m. In this 1er May 2024 in Nouméa, she left as usual from the Second Vallée-du-Tir, near the USTKE headquarters. The traditional parade which marks International Workers’ Day crossed the road, between two lines of cars forced to be patient, and began to walk along the main harbor in a lively and good-natured atmosphere.
Start of the May 1st march in Nouméa
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©René Molé / NC la 1ère
At the start of the afternoon, the organizers announced around five thousand participants. What changes from previous years is in particular the presence of a CCAT-branded procession. The Field Action Coordination Unit did not exist at the time of the 2023 parade, it was created at the end of last year. A showcase for part of the independence and sovereignist movement, it participates in force.
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©NC the 1st
It must be said that the tone has been set. Beyond the defense of workers, this 2024 march has the political and institutional situation as a common thread. Against the backdrop of the current standoff : the opening of the electorate which is emerging through the draft constitutional law soon to be examined by the deputies.
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©David Sigal / NC la 1ère
“Frozen electorate non-negotiable”, we read on a banner. On another, carried at the head of a procession, it is marked: “All their villainous laws will do nothing: sooner or later, the Kanak nation will be free, independent and sovereign.” “How can we build a future of peace?”, she asks, targeting the loyalist camp and evoking “all these migratory birds who come here to make a mess”. Slogans linked to nickel, too, notably in defense of the Northern factory.
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©David Sigal / NC la 1ère
Also note the support expressed for the Palestinian cause.
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©David Sigal / NC la 1ère
The political bureau of the FLNKS expressly called “to take part” in this march organized by the USTKE. Let us recall that the last congress of the front ratified the possible “integration independence and nationalist groups” such as USTKE or its political extension which is the Labor Party. A reflection is being carried out to adapt the FLNKS charter with this objective.
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©NC the 1st
The walk followed the seafront, bypassed the Place des Cocotiers and reached its starting point at midday.
The president of the USTKE Mélanie Atapo is the guest of the JT this Wednesday
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©David Sigal / NC la 1ère
