It seems like the French colony is pissed as France is trying to allow French citizens who have lived there 10 years voting rights. Honestly, kinda seems justified, but dont know the whole situation.
Agreed. If you’ve lived somewhere ten years why should you be denied a vote? Frankly I would allow all residents to vote even when they first arrive but I’m sure this would be even more controversial.
Seems like a strange thing to riot over—is this being perceived in a lens of colonialism?
I think the context here is that New Caledonia wants to be an independent country, and has had several referendums to try and do so electorally. France is doing everything in their power to block New Caledonian independence, using both politics and violence against natives. By granting voting rights to French immigrants, it will increase France’s apparent political support on the islands and make it harder for them to achieve independence, ensuring France can continue to plunder the islands.
Wow. And I've been under the impression that this sort of extremely overt, blatant Western colonialism had been basically phased out in the decades after World War II.