State of Emergency Declared in New Caledonia Amid Ongoing Protests

French President Emmanuel Macron announced today the declaration of a state of emergency in New Caledonia amid ongoing violent protests against a constitutional amendment approved by lawmakers, which is opposed by independence advocates. Macron called for a meeting of the Council for Defense and National Security to discuss the events in New Caledonia, where two people were killed on Tuesday night and hundreds were injured in the archipelago located in the South Pacific. French authorities reported that "more than 130 people have been arrested, and over 300 others have been injured since Monday in the violence, as tensions continue between supporters of the pro-independence camp and descendants of colonizers." Macron declared that "the French Parliament will hold a session by the end of June to amend the constitution."