The Baku Initiative Group (BIG) has congratulated the Kanak people for forcing the Macron government to retreat through their significant sacrifices in the struggle for freedom, Report informs.
The congratulatory message reads:
"Peaceful demonstrations have been held for several months in New Caledonia to protest against French colonialism and the gross violation of the rights and freedoms of the Kanak people by the Macron government.
During these protests, more than 10 civilians have been killed by French security forces, and hundreds have been arrested. At the same time, key figures of the Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), especially the movement's leader Christian Tein, have been illegally arrested and taken to Lyon. The Baku Initiative Group has supported the families of these political prisoners from day one and will continue to do so.
The Macron government, finally realizing that it cannot silence peaceful protests by firing at local peoples, has been forced to retreat in the face of the Kanak people. For the first time since the signing of the Noumea Accord between the French government and FLNKS in 1998, the French side has undertaken to fulfill a number of demands of the Kanak people.
The rise and rapid expansion of the protest wave in other colonies following New Caledonia forced the French government to make the following concessions:
- From now on, the Prime Minister him/herself will be directly engaged in the issues of the colonies, not the Minister for Overseas Territories;
- The chairpersons of the French National Assembly and Senate will soon visit New Caledonia to establish dialogue;
- An interministerial delegation formed under the Prime Minister and the Minister for Overseas Territories will negotiate with New Caledonia (previously they refused to engage in dialogue with the Kanak people);
- The provincial elections scheduled to be held in New Caledonia at the end of 2024 are postponed until the end of 2025 in agreement with the Head of State. The chambers of the French Parliament will make a decision on this;
- The constitutional law adopted in May 2024 regarding the illegal increase in the number of the electorate in New Caledonia will not be submitted to the French Congress for voting. The French Head of State will officially announce this in November.
This means that the French government will no longer be able to grant voting rights to migrants it has purposefully relocated to New Caledonia from outside.
The Baku Initiative Group believes that the Kanak people's struggle for freedom will culminate in the attainment of independence, which is the main demand of the local people."