A seventh person has died since the start of the riots in New Caledonia. The man was killed by police shooting. A new death which comes the day after Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the archipelago.
A 48-year-old man was killed Friday in New Caledonia by a police officer, who had been “physically attacked” by demonstrators, announced the Nouméa prosecutor, this seventh death since the start of the crisis occurring the day after the arrival of Emmanuel Macron.
While they were driving in Dumbéa, north of Nouméa, two police officers were “physically attacked by a group of around fifteen individuals” and one of them used his weapon, explained the prosecutor Yves Dupas. The police officer, on whom marks of blows were noted, was placed in police custody.
Information to remember:
- A 48-year-old man was killed by a police officer who had been “physically attacked” by demonstrators, the Nouméa prosecutor announced
- This is the seventh death since the start of the riots
- Thursday, Emmanuel Macron was visiting the island
- During an interview with the local press, the Head of State declared in particular that the archipelago must not become “the Wild West”
New Caledonia must not become “the Wild West”, says Emmanuel Macron
New Caledonia must not become “the Wild West”, warned President Emmanuel Macron during an interview with the local press broadcast on television on Friday. “I decided to come because we must never let violence take hold,” explained the head of state, in an interview with the public channel Nouvelle-Calédonie La 1ère, recorded during his express visit on Thursday. . He justified the significant resources deployed, in particular the 3,000 personnel of the internal security forces, by the need for a “return to calm” because “it’s not the Wild West”.
“The Republic must regain authority on all points. In France, not everyone defends themselves,” he added, in reference to the violent riots which have marred the French Pacific territory since the night of May 13 and to militia groups who organize the defense of their neighborhoods. “There is a republican order, it is the security forces who ensure it,” he insisted, assuring that he wanted to bring the archipelago back towards the “path of appeasement”.
Airport closed to commercial flights until Tuesday
Nouméa international airport will remain closed to commercial flights until 9:00 a.m. Tuesday (10:00 p.m. GMT Monday), Charles Roger, director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New Caledonia, manager of the platform. This brings to two weeks the closure of this airport, decided the day after the outbreak of violent riots on the French archipelago in the Pacific, and extended several times since.
Since Tuesday, however, New Zealand and Australia have begun chartering special flights to evacuate hundreds of tourists trapped since the start of the crisis shaking New Caledonia, against a backdrop of protests over electoral reform. . Australia is continuing these evacuation flights on Friday, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Thursday evening on X. Australian and New Zealand military aircraft are performing rotations with Nouméa airfield on Friday, according to the Flightradar24 website.
