Amid the unrest in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, Amnesty International is urging France to respect the rights of the indigenous Kanak people.

Kate Schuetze, Amnesty International’s Pacific researcher, said, "The state of emergency declared by the French government and the deployment of the French army, coupled with a ban on the social media app TikTok, must not be misused to restrict people’s human rights".

She continued, "It is imperative that French police and gendarmes only use force as reasonably necessary and prioritize protecting the right to life."

She noted that the TikTok ban was a "disproportionate" measure that violates freedom of expression, as it could set an example for other governments to justify shutdowns in reaction to public protests.

"French authorities must uphold the rights of the Indigenous Kanak people and the right to peaceful expression and assembly without discrimination. People calling for independence should be able to express their views peacefully,” Schuetze said.

This comes two days after New Caledonia's governor confirmed that the week-long unrest in the country has ceased after an additional 1,000 reinforcements from France were deployed, with High Commissioner Louis Le Franc telling reporters that “a calmer and more peaceful situation” in the capital city of Noumea has been seen for the first time since Monday.

A bit of context

During the unrest for the past week, five people were killed and one gendarme was shot in the head, while another was killed by friendly fire, per French officials. Three locals, ages 17, 20 and 36 were killed and suspects have been identified and taken into custody.

AFP reported French troops in red berets with gas masks, riot shields, and rifles in the city as a shopping center was still ablaze and dozens of burned-out cars were on the road. 

Meanwhile, the local chamber of commerce revealed that up to 90% of the grocery distribution network in the city had been “wiped out” in the riots, with an estimated damage of around $217 million.

The unrest erupted after France's national assembly approved contentious changes to voting rolls, which indigenous Kanak leaders argue will undermine their voting rights.

Despite the implementation of security forces and a nighttime curfew, the violence has persisted, marking the most significant upheaval in New Caledonia since the 1980s.

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TikTok was banned for allegedly being used to organize the riots, a decision the company called “regrettable”, saying that “no request or question, no demand to withdraw content, had been made by local authorities or the French government.”