Since the uprising of May 13, 2024 in Kanaky, repression has hit Kanak
activists hard, with some having been deported to be incarcerated inmainland France, 17,000 kilometers from their country. Solidarity is
being organized to support these political prisoners and fight French
colonialism. ---- The insurrectional uprising of May 13, 2024 in Kanaky
is the result of French colonization. Poverty is endemic there, racism
is systemic and life is excessively expensive, with prices being on
average 31% higher than in mainland France and 78% for foodstuffs[1].
Faced with this precariousness, the illegitimate referendum of
2022[2]and the law on the unfreezing of the electoral body (see box),
the Kanaks - particularly the young - have revolted against French
imperialism.
The repression has officially caused thirteen deaths since May and many
Kanaks have been deported to mainland France. Kanak activists have so
far counted sixty-seven prisoners transferred to France, including seven
members of the Cellule de coordination des actions de terrain (CCAT).
Its spokesperson Christian Tein (or "Bichou" to his comrades and
friends) is accused of having organized the May insurrection. He was
deported to Lutterbach prison, near Mulhouse, after having surrendered
to the gendarmerie on June 19 to appease the repression against young
people. In August, still incarcerated, he was appointed president of the
Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS).
The removal of prisoners, often fathers or mothers, aims to put pressure
on them. The deportees are held in detention centers scattered
throughout the metropolis, complicating mobilizations while keeping
their location unclear for their families. This also generates costs for
the families who must pay several hundred euros each month in prison
costs (telephone, meals, tobacco, etc.) per prisoner. According to
recent articles, the Lutterbach prison where Bichou is being held keeps
its occupants in atrocious living conditions[3].
Demonstration for the Kanaky in Strasbourg on June 29, 2024.
RED PHOTO LIBRARY
Following May 13, a movement of solidarity with the Kanaks is being
organized in France. Anti-colonial struggles, particularly those in
support of the Palestinian people, quickly became involved in the
solidarity movements for Kanaky. From the first week, rallies took place
and collectives composed of Kanaks were then organized throughout
metropolitan France, demanding the release of political prisoners, the
abandonment of the thaw of the electoral body and, more generally,
recognition of the cultural and political issues linked to Kanaky.
During the first calls to demonstrate in France, Kanaks from Strasbourg
and Mulhouse went to the Lutterbach penitentiary to demand the return to
the country of Christian Tein. During this gathering, these people met
to think about actions to be carried out in their city. This is how the
Solidarity for Kanaky 67 and 68 collectives (SPK67 and SPK68) were born.
On November 2, these collectives, with the help of several organizations
including the UCL, organized a support evening. It was an opportunity to
learn more about Kanak cultures, which tend to be erased by French
colonialism. Activists explained the situation in Kanaky and the
conditions of Christian Tein's imprisonment. Luc Tournabien - author of
40 years of emancipation... to better recolonize? and activist of the
Caledonian Union[4]- was invited to answer questions on the political
situation in the country.
A few days before this event, we learned that the Court of Cassation had
canceled the detention in metropolitan France of Christian Tein and
another activist, Steve Unë; they nevertheless remain incarcerated
pending the reexamination of their case, and dozens of other Kanaks
remain detained thousands of kilometers from their country.
After months of tensions in Kanaky, a large mobilization in France and
political instability, Prime Minister Michel Barnier declared: "The
constitutional bill on the thawing of the electoral body adopted last
May by the parliamentary assemblies will not be submitted to Congress".
A victory that is far too weak, because the project is only suspended.
Sensing that the provincial elections scheduled for December 15 would be
to the disadvantage of the French government, Barnier postponed them
until the end of 2025 at the latest. The suspension of the law on the
thawing of the electoral body, wrested by the mobilization of Kanak
youth, is not enough: it must be repealed, and all Kanak prisoners must
be released.
UCL Alsace
Luc Tournabien, 40 ans d'émancipation... pour mieux recoloniser?,
Self-published, 2024, 16 euros.
What is the thawing of the electoral body?
In May 2024, Emmanuel Macron's government proposed a bill that plans to
expand the electoral body in Kanaky. It has been frozen since the Noumea
Accords of 1998, as part of a process of independence for the Kanak
people following the 1988 and 1998 agreements.
To date, only people registered on the electoral cards in 1998 and their
descendants can vote in Kanak provincial elections. This limitation is
intended to prevent the marginalization of the Kanak vote by a massive
influx of metropolitan French people. The thawing of the electoral body
would create a minority of the Kanak people in their own country and
would promote a recolonization of Kanaky.
linktr.ee/collectifkanaky67: SPK67 links redirecting to the kitty for
Kanak political prisoners.
Chronology: The colonization of Kanaky
1774 Arrival of James Cook on the archipelago. He names the island New
Caledonia after his region of origin. 1853 France takes possession of
Kanaky. 1864-1924 France uses the island as a penal colony. This marks
the beginning of the settlement of Kanaky by the French, confining the
Kanaks to less fertile lands. 1874 The indigenous code is applied in
Kanaky. 1944 The indigenous code is abolished. The Kanaks obtain freedom
of movement, property and their civil rights. 1946 Obtaining the status
of Overseas Territory. The administrators manage themselves. 1957 The
Defferre Framework Law grants more autonomy to Kanaky. 1963-1972 Nickel
boom: France considers Kanaky as a favorable economic investment because
of its nickel deposits. 1963 End of the decolonization policies of
Kanaky by the French State. 1983 Round table of Nainville-les-Roches
between the French State and Kanak political forces. The discussions
lead to the recognition of the colonial fact and the recognition of the
right of the Kanaks to self-determination of their country and to decide
on the opening of this right to the other ethnic groups of the
territory. 1984 The Lemoine statute aimed at reducing the autonomy of
the territory is adopted. 1984 Beginning of what the media call the
"events". This civil war on the island followed the assassination of 90
Kanaks and reached its climax with the hostage-taking of Ouvéa in 1988.
June 26, 1988 The Matignon-Oudinot agreements provide for a ten-year
development period, with economic and institutional guarantees for the
Kanak community as well as the possibility of deciding on their
independence. 1998 The Noumea Agreement gives a new legal status to
Kanaky. 1999 The organic law enacts the end of Kanaky's status as an
Overseas Territory. The powers, with the exception of sovereign powers,
are transferred to Kanaky.
Validate
[1]2022 figures from the New Caledonia Institute of Statistics and
Economic Studies.
[2]"Kanaky: the settlers want to remain settlers, what a scoop!»,
Alternative libertaire no 323, January 23, 2022.
[3]"A year after its opening, the Mulhouse Lutterbach penitentiary
center is already overcrowded and dysfunctional", Rue89 Strasbourg,
October 27, 2022.
[4]The Caledonian Union is an organization in Kanaky that actively
contributed to the creation of the FLNKS.
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Kanaky-Solidarite-face-a-la-repression
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