The Saint-Louis tribe of New Caledonia filed a lawsuit to protest the atrocities of the French government.
Oku.Az reports that the request states:
“From 13 May 2024, the start of the current events in New Caledonia, France begins to recreate the old colonial nightmare in this remote area.
Unfortunately, the treatment meted out by the State to the Saint-Louis tribe in the commune of Mont-Dore, in the south of the island, is reminiscent of the treatment meted out to the local population during the Algerian war. A brazen State intends to deal with 1,200 criminals who should be neutralised and silenced despite a disproportionate power balance.
Did our tribe, which left a mark on its history, deserve the murder of its three sons? These young men were killed because they bravely defended their political ideals. These young men, who only carried shotguns in their hands, tools for throwing stones and simple slippers on their feet, died under the bullets of the GIGN (French National Gendarmerie).
“It seems that, unfortunately for us, the distance of several thousand kilometres between New Caledonia and France has turned the concept of self-defence into a licence to kill in the Pacific,” the appeal said.
The killers of independence leader Pierre Decler, executed in 1981, reportedly show no remorse:
“We are therefore entitled to question the State’s motives for going so far as to kill three young Kanaks. What is even more disturbing is that the young men from our tribe who are still alive are being asked to hand themselves over to the authorities. To avoid the same fate as their brothers. Everyone knows that in such a small area they can be caught and arrested at any time.
Thus, on the island of Saint-Louis, attempts are being made to “restore” justice with extraordinary speed. However, as Judge Claire-Marie Casanova said, “justice never comes on time, never before time, it is always criticised for its delay.” So why is there suddenly such a rush to deal with the legal issues of our tribe? This question requires an answer because we have doubts about the real motives of the State in this matter.
The only thing we know for certain is that for this State, neither respect for the law nor the loss of human lives will prevent it from fulfilling its divine mission.
To be sure of this, one only has to look at the increasing number of military vehicles illegally circulating on our roads. It is as if a Berlin Wall of the Pacific Ocean is slowly being built around our tribe. Our lands are blockaded, our population is starving and our young people are being killed.
We no longer expect anything from the local court. We must appeal to it, but its unjust decisions protect the strong, oppress the weak and leave us in the depths of misunderstanding.
We are convinced that the Saint-Louis tribe is, even if unwittingly, at the centre of a terrible game organised by the State. Here, the victims are presented as executioners through propaganda orchestrated by the State, thus trying to maintain the colonial order.
If the current system in Saint-Louis is described as a “crash test” for the state’s claim to control the entire territory, it may be easier to martyr an entire tribe than to suppress Kanak aspirations for independence.
They signed:
Eugène Décoiré – President of the Council of Clan Chiefs
Yohann Wamytan – Member of the Council of Clan Chiefs“.
