France Bans TikTok in Island Territory After Pro-Independence Protests Turn Violent
France declared a state of emergency on Wednesday in its territory of New Caledonia following protests against changes to the election laws that turned violent and have left four people dead. The emergency declaration will allow police to severely restrict civil rights in a number of ways, including a ban on public demonstrations. But that ban appears to extend online, as the AFP reports that the declaration includes a blackout on TikTok in the South Pacific islands.
France’s National Assembly approved a new bill in the early morning hours of Wednesday to extend local voting rights to people who arrived in New Caledonia from mainland France at least 10 years ago. New Caledonia has been a French territory since it was first colonized in 1853, becoming a penal colony throughout the second half of the 19th century, and many of the Indigenous Kanak people have fought for independence over the decades.
Nickel was discovered in New Caledonia in 1864, which has made it a tremendously profitable territory for the French well into the 21st century, as it’s now a valuable component used in electric vehicles. New Caledonia is currently the third largest exporter of nickel in the world, according to Bloomberg—helping to explain why France has been so reluctant to cede much control of its colonial holdings. New Caledonia’s position on China’s doorstep, about 750 miles east of Australia, is also seen by France as strategic in the New Cold War.
One concession France did allow after massive and violent protests in the 1980s and ‘90s was the Noumea Accords of 1998, which froze the ability of any newly arrived people from the French mainland to vote in local elections. Wednesday’s vote by the National Assembly seeks to change all that, allowing white French citizens without longstanding generational ties to New Caledonia the ability to dilute the votes of Indigenous people from the islands, who are more likely to favor independence.
All of that brings us to Wednesday’s emergency declaration, which was enacted by France from 12,000 miles away after two days of violent protests following previously peaceful demonstrations. Four people have died in the riots, including one police officer and three young Indigenous Kanak people, and at least 130 people have been arrested, according to the latest figures released by the French High Commission of the Republic in New Caledonia.
The emergency declaration will last 12 days, according to Australia’s ABC News, and a curfew will be in effect each night from 6pm until 6am local time. TikTok is also now banned in the territory as French authorities have blamed the app for helping organize the demonstrations, and “attracting troublemakers to the streets,” as the South China Morning Post put it. It’s not immediately clear whether the TikTok ban is permanent or will be lifted after the emergency period ends in 12 days. TikTok didn’t respond to emailed questions on Wednesday night.
Daniel Goa, a pro-independence party leader in New Caledonia, condemned any looting while urging young people to go home, but pointed out the anger at the heart of the riots.
“The unrest of the last 24 hours reveals the determination of our young people to no longer let France take control of them,” Goa said, in a statement given to France24.
France has shipped 500 new police officers to New Caledonia to reinforce the existing 1,800 on the territory of roughly 270,000 people, according to the Associated Press. Indigenous people in New Caledonia only received citizenship in their own country in 1957. But French leaders insist law and order must rule the day.
“Violence is neither justifiable nor tolerable,” French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday according to an English language translation by New Zealand news outlet 1News.
“Violence has never forced anyone’s hand. It has never enabled dialogue. And it is through dialogue and dialogue alone that we will find a global political solution for New Caledonia,” Attal continued.
Click through the slideshow to see more photos from the recent unrest in New Caledonia.
Burned Out Cars
- Photo: NICOLAS JOB/SIPA (AP)
Protesting in Noumea
French Counter-Protesters
Destroyed Property
- Photo: NICOLAS JOB/SIPA (AP)
Protests on the Street
- Photo: NICOLAS JOB/SIPA (AP)
French Police
Liberation Protests
French in New Caledonia
Smoke Rising Over Noumea
Cars on Fire
- Photo: Sipa via AP Images (AP)
