A committee of elders in New Caledonia has hit out at social media posts about them which they say are untruthful and defamatory.
The committee was set up by the French prime minister three years ago to help guide the debate in the lead-up to the independence referendum.
It included senior personalities, such as the wife of the late pro-independence leader Jean-Marie Tjibaou, the head of the Human Rights League and the first president of New Caledonia's collegial government.
In a statement, they pointed out it was wrong to say they were being paid by the French state.
They said they all volunteer their services in order to contribute to a climate of peace and mutual respect.
Jean Leques of New Caledonia's Committee of Elders Photo: RNZ Walter Zweifel