The gutted remains of six cars smoulder in a parking lot in Nouméa, capital of the South Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia. Smoke billows over the city, a grey backdrop for the colourful flags flown by the Indigenous Kanak people as they take to the streets in protest. It’s May 15 2024, and the French Pacific territory is gripped by riots, violence and at least six deaths, a crisis kicked off by a constitutional change taking place over 16,000 kilometres away. In the coming days, hundreds of French gendarmes will attempt to put out the flames. May’s sometimes deadly clashes were triggered b…