The recent coercion of the people of Martinique, who have once again risen to fight for their rights, is a continuation of the colonial policy of official Paris, Zaur Ibrahimli, chairman of the Prioritet Social Economic Research Center Public Union, told Report.
The expert argues that France’s violent operations and use of force against peaceful protesters demonstrate its unwillingness to grant sovereignty to the peoples it has subjugated:
“The struggle of the people of Martinique for sovereignty has been repeatedly and violently suppressed by official Paris. Additionally, this issue has been politically manipulated through falsified referenda. Supporters of independence have never won any referendum held in French colonies.”
Ibrahimli attributes this to fraudulent practices:
"Through these referenda, France appears to justify its colonial policy. One major reason why independence supporters fail in these referenda is France’s divisive tactics, which pit different societal groups against each other.
“Regrettably, force is used against those protesting the falsification of these referenda, including independence supporters.”
Ibrahimli criticized France’s defense of its colonial policy in the 21st century:
"France uses its forces to suppress protesters. We saw this in Caledonia as well. Moreover, France falsifies referenda to justify its colonial policy in front of the entire world. It is questionable how appropriate it is for a UN Security Council member to conduct such policies,” he remarked.
The expert emphasized the need for relevant UN bodies to politically and legally evaluate France’s actions. He urged European Union countries not to ignore this issue.
"Although France frequently speaks about human rights and freedoms, if it continues such actions, it will appear hypocritical when discussing the rights of other nations and human rights. France publishes human rights reports, yet it leads global colonial policy. It is unfortunate that the international community and leading organizations turn a blind eye to this."
Ibrahimli also highlighted the importance of raising this issue and encouraging civil society activism at the UN General Assembly meeting.