How nuclear testing changed politics in French Polynesia

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 15 May 2024

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It's 20 years since elections in French Polynesia in 2004, where the independence movement stunned the France-aligned government of the day, propelling pro-independence leader Oscar Temaru to the presidency.

It was a landmark in the country's politics, where protests against French rule had increased due to the practice of using Polynesian islands for nuclear tests.

Antony Geros, who helped lead the independence movement, recounts that night to Lizzy Kinch.

This is a Whistledown production for BBC World Service.

(Photo: Antony Geros. Credit: Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before you listen to this BBC podcast I'd like to introduce myself.
0:03.4	My name's Stevie Middleton and I'm a BBC commissioner for a load of sport
0:07.4	podcasts. I'm lucky to do that at the BBC because I get to work with
0:10.7	leading journalists, experienced pundits and the biggest
0:13.2	sports stars. Together we bring you untold stories and fascinating insights
0:17.5	straight from the player's mouths. But the best thing about doing this at the BBC is our unique access to the sporting world.
0:24.4	What that means is that we can bring you podcasts that create a real connection
0:28.7	to dedicated sports fans across the UK.
0:31.1	So if you like this podcast, head over to BBC Sounds where you'll find plenty more. Hello, welcome to the Witness History Podcast from the BBC World Service with me Lizzy Kinch.
0:47.0	In this edition, I'm taking you back to 2004 in French Polynesia, when a bitterly contested election saw a shock victory for a pro-independence party,
0:56.0	marking a significant milestone in the nation's history.
1:00.0	It's 1984, and in French Polynesia a collection of 121 islands in the South Pacific
1:07.6	a wave of political rebellion has begun. People are taking to the streets to protest French rule and nuclear testing.
1:17.0	From 84 we started protesting all around the island.
1:24.0	Every year we had marshes to demonstrate against the nuclear test.
1:28.0	The first marshes were difficult.
1:31.0	We were walking on X-shells. We had to be careful about what we said and did and always
1:38.3	respect the law.
1:39.8	This is Anthony Geros, a leading figure in the French Polynesian Independence Movement, who is now president of the Assembly of French Polynesia.
1:48.0	The islands had been colonised by France in the 19th century and were in the 1980s still effectively controlled
1:54.6	from Paris. Anthony Geros had not always been fiercely political. I wasn't
1:59.4	involved in politics at the time. I was very sporty. I coached the Polynesian team in the French Tankwendo
	...

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