French Polynesia’s territorial assembly in session. Photo: Polynésie la 1ère
A judicial enquiry has been launched in French Polynesia to determine whether some members of the Territorial Assembly (Parliament) can be held responsible for racist hate speech.
The enquiry is based on possible "public incitement to discrimination" charges and targets several MPs from the current ruling pro-independence majority within the Assembly, French Polynesia's public prosecutor Solène Belaouar announced last Wednesday.
Belaouar said she had decided to launch the inquest based on crimes of "public incitement to discrimination due to origin, ethnicity, nation, race or religion" committed by "a person charged with a public service mission".
Those charges, if ascertained, entail sentences of up to three years in prison and/or a fine of up to US$172,000.
In December, former President Edouard Fritch was the first to formally lodge a judicial complaint against recent speeches held inside the Assembly in session, specifically by current Education minister Rony Teriipaia and majority party caucus leader Mitema Tapati.
The controversy started in October 2023 and has since been followed by several occurrences.
On several occasions, Assembly majority MPs, including former pro-independence President Oscar Temaru, have made controversial statements in session.
On 24 October 2023, Temaru said he "was not afraid of climate change, I'm more afraid of demographic change (in French Polynesia) which is ongoing".
A few days later, Tapati declared that "while (mainland) France's population has gotten more black", French Polynesia's population has "considerably whitened", a clear reference to white people living in the French Pacific territory.
His statement was made in Te Reo Maohi (Polynesian language), one of the two official languages (with French) recognised in the Assembly.
A few days later, speaking to local media, the former Church minister denied that his words had anything to do with racism.
"This is just reality...In (mainland) France, everyone keeps talking about invasions from all sorts of communities, including Arabs. Here, it's also a fact", Rony Teriipaia told daily news service Tahiti Infos.
This train of declarations has since fuelled a tenacious controversy within French Polynesia's political ranks.
Anti-independence and opposition Tapura party caucus leader Tepuaraurii Teriitahi reacted by condemning the fact of qualifying French Polynesians "by their skin colour".
"We certainly don't condone this, because this is racism", she told local media a few days after the incident.
Meanwhile, French Polynesia's statistical institute (ISPF) has since clarified that between 2017 and 2022, there have been more departures than arrivals in French Polynesia (-6,500 persons).