Police arrest New Caledonia pro-independence protest leader

19/6/2024 17:46

        Police in New Caledonia arrested protest leader Christian Tein on Wednesday at the headquarters of the biggest pro-independence political party, the Caledonian Union, as he prepared to hold a press conference, the party said in a statement.
        
        Local media reported the arrest of eight people including Tein in a police operation on Wednesday morning which caused many businesses, shops and the Noumea town hall to close, out of concern of further unrest.
        
        Indigenous Kanaks fear it will dilute their vote and make it harder for any future referendum on independence to pass, while Paris says the measure is needed to improve democracy.
        
        Tein leads a branch of Caledonian Union called the Field Action Coordination Cell (CCAT), which organised protest barricades across the capital Noumea that have disrupted traffic, movement and food supplies.