According to the Haut-Commissariat de la République, the night was marked by intense unrest and the forces of law and order came under attack from rioters

In New Caledonia, a new wave of violence broke out on the night of Sunday 23 to Monday 24 June, following the transfer to mainland France of seven Caledonian pro-independence figures, including Christian Tein, spokesman for the Cellule de coordination des actions de terrain (CCAT), who was accused of orchestrating the unrest.

“Throughout Grande Terre, as well as on the Isle of Pines and Maré, the night was turbulent, requiring the deployment of large reinforcements in response to clashes with the forces of law and order, arson attacks and blockades”, reported the Haut-Commissariat de la République in a statement published on Monday.

In Dumbéa, north of Nouméa, the municipal police station and a garage were set on fire. Four armoured vehicles intervened at the scene of the clashes, which also affected a car garage that was engulfed in flames. Near a large sports equipment shop that was completely destroyed, pro-independence demonstrators shouted slogans against the detention of prisoners.

Clashes also broke out in Bourail, where one person was injured during clashes between the police and pro-independence demonstrators. According to the Haut-Commissariat, the injured person was neither a police officer nor hit by a bullet. In the Vallée-du-tir district of Nouméa, the police dismantled a burning roadblock erected by rioters at a roundabout.

The Haut-Commissariat reported that several fires had been brought under control, notably in Ducos and the Magenta district, while also mentioning attacks on municipal police premises and private vehicles in Païta. The unrest also affected the territorial brigade in Maré, according to the authorities.

Since 13 May, New Caledonia has been rocked by a series of acts of violence linked to protests against a bill to unfreeze the electoral process, which have already resulted in nine deaths, including those of two gendarmes, and major material damage estimated at over €1 billion.