The Facts

On 10 March, 1972, 19 boxes of practice ammunition went missing from the Marine Infantry Battalion base in Tahiti. There was no delay in the police finding out those responsible for this theft. It was 7 young Tahitians, known for their political activities, their opposition to nuclear testing, their acts to defend the independence of their people and the integrity of their country. One of them, Felix Teheriura had ripped a French flag at Faa airport on the occasion of a visit by Minister Rey.

According to the terms of the Public Prosecutor's indictment: 'They believed in a political evolution of the territory, each talking at once of autonomy and independence. They had envisaged a revolution, but a peaceful one.' The prosecution maintained that this arms theft had a military defence organisation as its goal. The arrested Tahitians have always maintained that it was only to ridicule the military, who believed themselves to be all-powerful in Papeete.