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New Caledonia: violent demonstrations shake the archipelago
New Caledonia: violent demonstrations shake the archipelago
(France 2)
Many buildings and cars were burned during the night of Monday May 13 to Tuesday May 14 in Nouméa in New Caledonia while a constitutional reform is being examined in the National Assembly. Violence which continued the following night.
A gymnasium in New Caledonia was completely destroyed by flames. For the second night in a row and despite the curfew, Nouméa is on fire. Clashes took place between the police and demonstrators, sometimes heavily armed, on the night of Tuesday May 14 to Wednesday May 15. An armored vehicle from the gendarmerie units intervened. The residents live in anxiety. Taking advantage of the chaos on the island, some prisoners staged a mutiny at Nouméa prison. Around twenty prisoners managed to get out of the cells. The Raid had to intervene to restore calm.
The night before, the face-to-face meeting had already been tense. Some demonstrators fired live ammunition. Results: 70 gendarmes and police officers injured, many cars burned, houses and businesses burned and vehicles used as battering rams. The damage on the island is considerable. A curfew was imposed after the violence.
