A pro-independence political party in New Caledonia has defended its leader over social media posts it says were wrongly atrributed to him.
After an outcry on social media over a comment attributed to him, the Caledonian Union said its leader Daniel Goa has no personal Facebook account.
Head of the Caledonian Union, Daniel Goa Photo: AFP
The post claims that New Caledonia will become independent from France after December's referendum either with a victory at the polls or after a legitimate but terrible war.
The party's secretary-general said Goa had no Facebook account, and hoped that those who reacted to the post didn't believe for a moment that it was from him.
He said all members of the party leadership have been victims of identity theft.
According to the secretary-general, the Caledonian Union usually reports fake accounts, which however sometimes reappear after being taken down.
The party said it was considering taking legal action to set an end to these identy thefts.
The controversial account is still online.
A screenshot of the fake account Photo: FB