The ban on the social network TikTok in New Caledonia has been “lifted”, the authorities of the French archipelago in the South Pacific announced on Wednesday, after an unprecedented measure taken on May 15 to limit in particular contacts between rioters.
“To follow the end of the state of emergency measures in the territory since Tuesday May 28, 2024, the ban on the TikTok platform has been lifted,” states the High Commission of the Republic in a press release, which specifies, however, that the curfew remains in force.
This ban on TikTok was made possible by the proclamation of a state of emergency on May 15 and the presence of a single telecoms operator in the territory. The government considered the social network, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, as one of the preferred vectors of communication between groups who committed violence at night.
This ban also came against a backdrop of fears of interference and disinformation on social networks coming from foreign countries which would seek to fuel tensions, according to government and security sources, citing China or Azerbaijan.
Last Thursday, the Council of State, the highest French administrative court, confirmed the blocking of the social network taking into account the “limited and temporary nature of the blocking measure”, as well as the “public interest which attaches to the restoration of security”, according to the decision of which AFP had a copy. He also noted that “other social networks and media remain accessible”.
The Council of State had also rejected, “for lack of urgency”, the applicants’ request. The Human Rights League, the Quadrature du Net association and three residents of New Caledonia filed an appeal for interim relief on May 17, considering that this blockage was a serious attack on the freedoms of communication and information. .
Curfew maintained
Up to 3,500 law enforcement personnel, in total, were to be deployed in this archipelago engaged since 1998 in a process of emancipation. A draft constitutional law has triggered riots and there is no way out of the political crisis for the time being, due to lack of agreement between loyalists and separatists, even if relative calm has returned for several nights.
The crisis was marked by the death of seven people, including two gendarmes, numerous damages and blockades cutting off major roads. Furthermore, 136 police officers and gendarmes were injured, and “nearly 535 individuals were arrested,” says the state representative.
The police are “continuing to secure Païta, Dumbéa and Mont-Dore”, in the vicinity of Nouméa, says the High Commission. The clearance of carcasses continues on the road which connects Nouméa to the airport. As such, “141 carcasses were able to be removed in the last 24 hours in the Pont des Erudits sector”, in Dumbéa, on this strategic axis, specified the State representative.
Nouméa – La Tontouta international airport, which remains closed to commercial flights until at least Sunday, was used by authorities to evacuate 1,630 French and foreign tourists to their countries of residence, while 430 Caledonian residents were able to return in the territory, we assure the same source.
If the state of emergency was lifted on Tuesday, the High Commission emphasized in its press release on Wednesday that “the measures prohibiting gatherings, the sale and transport of weapons and the sale of alcohol as well as the curfew from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. are maintained throughout the territory.