New Caledonia marks anniversary of French colonization with tight security and simmering tensions

NOUMEA, New Caledonia (AP) — New Caledonia marked the anniversary on Tuesday of France's takeover of the Pacific archipelago with tight security and simmering tensions between the pro-independence Indigenous Kanak people and the white settler communities loyal to Paris.

The 171st anniversary of the French colonization of New Caledonia, which is east of Australia and 10 time zones ahead of Paris, comes four months after protests by Kanaks against French President Emmanuel Macron’ s voting reforms in New Caledonia turned violent, leaving 13 people dead and widespread destruction.

The violence on the archipelago of about 270,000 people widened the gap between communities that have long faced an existential dilemma over New Caledonia's status within France. At least 6,000 police officers have been deployed in and around the capital, Noumea, since unrest started in May. On Tuesday, security forces were on high alert to prevent any violence during the Sept. 24 anniversary, a public holiday known as Citizenship Day.

It marks the day in 1853 when French Admiral Auguste Febvrier-Despointes declared French sovereignty over New Caledonia in the name of Emperor Napoleon III, Napoleon’s nephew and heir. It became an overseas territory after World War II, with French citizenship granted to all Kanaks in 1957.

Underlining how far apart the communities stand on the territory's future, the loyalists in Noumea on Tuesday celebrated New Caledonia's French identity, waving national flags, honking car horns to the sounds of the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, and other patriotic songs, blasting from a radio broadcast, and vehicles carrying police officers and firefighters joining in.

For the Indigenous people, who once suffered from strict segregation policies and widespread discrimination, Sept. 24 is a reminder to continue their struggle for independence. The National Council of Chiefs of the Kanak people was meeting on Mare Island, across from Noumea, and was expected to unilaterally declare sovereignty over the Kanak nation on their customary territories.

In Paris, New Caledonia's pro-independence Kanak lawmaker, Emmanuel Tjibaou, hailed people in his faraway homeland for “peacefully marking this Citizenship Day" and showing that “we stand steadfast in our fight for dignity ... that is non-negotiable," he said in a social media post.

Nicolas Metzdorf, New Caledonia’s loyalist lawmaker, was beaming with pride over the Pacific archipelago's French identity and vowed that his supporters have every intention of keeping the territory a part of France.

On Citizenship Day, New Caledonia “celebrates our attachment to France,” Metzdorf said. “It's a celebration of all citizens, including those who are still excluded from voting,” he said in reference to those residents, who have recently settled in the archipelago but can't vote in local elections in line with the 1998 Noumea Accord that gives New Caledonia more political power and broader autonomy.

In the spring, Macron rushed a bill through Parliament aimed at amending France’s constitution and changing the electoral register in New Caledonia to grant voting rights to residents who have settled there in the last decade, leaving the Indigenous people in fear of further erosion of their rights and erasure of their identity.

The adoption of the controversial bill by both houses of the French Parliament in May led to mass demonstrations that turned violent, prompting Macron to declare a state of emergency and fly thousands of police and army reinforcements to the faraway territory. Thirteen people, mostly Kanaks, and two police officers were killed and nearly 3,000 people have been arrested.

Among those detained in broad police raids were 11 Kanak activists with the pro-independence group known as The Field Action Coordination Unit, which has organized protests against French rule since April. Seven of the detained activists, including Christian Tein, a Kanak leader, were flown 17,000 kilometers (10,500 miles) away from home to seven prisons in mainland France for pretrial detention.

Macron sidelined the controversial voting reform in June after he dissolved Parliament and called early legislative elections.

France held three referendums in New Caledonia on independence between 2018 and 2021 as part of an agreement known as the Noumea Accords that followed a 1988 peace deal that ended violence between rival factions.

A majority of voters chose to remain part of France instead of backing independence. The pro-independence Kanak people rejected the results of the last referendum in 2021, which they boycotted because it was held at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that severely affected the Kanak community.

Associated Press writer Barbara Surk in Nice, France, contributed to this report.

Indigenous Kanaks wave independent flags during the 171th anniversary of France's takeover of the Pacific Archipelago, in Noumea, New Caledonia, French Pacific islands, Tuesday Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Charlotte Antoine-Perron)

Indigenous Kanaks hold independent flags as they gather near the Field Action Coordination Unit building during the 171th anniversary of France's takeover of the Pacific Archipelago, in Noumea, New Caledonia, French Pacific islands, Tuesday Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Charlotte Antoine-Perron)

A pro-loyalist barricade with French flags is photographed during the anniv 171th anniversary of France's takeover of the Pacific Archipelago, in Noumea, New Caledonia, French Pacific islands, Tuesday Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Charlotte Antoine-Perron)

An indigenous Kanak holds the independent flag during the 171th anniversary of France's takeover of the Pacific Archipelago, in Noumea, New Caledonia, French Pacific islands, Tuesday Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Charlotte Antoine-Perron)

For the first time in 20 years, rain is expected to intrude on the Rose Parade in Southern California, a venerable New Year's Day event that attracts thousands of spectators and is watched by millions more on TV.

Storms caused Christmas week flooding, mudslides and other miseries across the region. Now comes a 100% chance of rain Thursday in Pasadena, the National Weather Service said.

“We try not to say that word around here,” joked Candy Carlson, a spokesperson for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the organization behind the 137th Rose Parade, which precedes the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff game.

Arctic air is meanwhile expected to blanket much of the eastern two-thirds of the country, the weather service said.

In New York City, forecasters predict temperatures in the low 30s Fahrenheit (around zero degrees Celsius), which is not unusual, when the ball drops in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Light rain is possible in Las Vegas, where several casinos will be shooting fireworks from rooftops.

During Nashville's Big Bash, a New Year's Eve event at a park, temperatures will be in the low 30s when an illuminated music note drops at midnight in the Tennessee city. New Orleans will be in the mid-40s Fahrenheit (around 7 degrees Celsius) for a free concert and fireworks along the Mississippi River.

At the Rose Parade, it has rained only 10 times in the parade's history — and not since 2006, Carlson said.

Rare wet weather is unlikely to keep floats, marching bands, entertainers and others from participating. Carlson said people riding on floats will have rain gear if necessary, and tow trucks will be standing by in case of mechanical problems.

Spectators will need to prepare, too. Umbrellas are not allowed in parade seating areas that require tickets, though the ban doesn't cover people who simply line up along the nearly 6-mile (10-kilometer) route. Curbside camping — no tents — begins at noon Wednesday. Rain also is predicted that day.

“Last year's parade theme was ‘Best Day Ever!’ and six days later it was the worst," said Lisa Derderian, spokesperson for the city of Pasadena, referring to the devastating Eaton wildfire in Los Angeles County. “We want to start the new year on a high note. Hopefully Mother Nature cooperates with the weather.”

Confetti is released during a confetti test ahead of New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - Marching bands perform along Colorado Blvd. in the 136th Rose Parade, in Pasadena, Calif., Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)