France/New Caledonia

Six injured during union protests

Article published on the 2009-08-05 Latest update 2009-08-05 13:34 TU

French police drive an armoured personal carrier outside Nouméa on 5 August 2009, where clashes with demonstrators continued
(Photo : AFP)

Six people, including two police officers, were injured on Wednesday during clashes between security forces and protesters in New Caledonia. Workers from a pro-independence union in the French territory in the Pacific Ocean have been striking for the past week. More than 30 police officers have been injured since the protests began.

The USTKE union is protesting over the arrest of its leader Gérard Jodar at the end of June. He was detained following a dispute with local airline Aircal.

The worst problems on Wednesday were in the Saint Louis area on the outskirts of Nouméa. Youths and members of the USTKE, which represents the indigenous Kanak population, fired at police from behind barricades made of burning tyres. Two police officers, one of whom was shot, were injured and 13 people were detained.

Several businesses have been forced to shut down because of the union blockades in New Caledonia, which is located around 2,000 kilometres from Australia.

High Commissioner Yves Dassonville said the Aircal dispute is “a pretext”.

“What USTKE really wants is to create tension,” he said.