Gil Brial (born 25 November 1973) is a politician from

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

who is the leader of the Caledonian People's Movement.

Biography

Brial was born in New Caledonia in 1973 to a prominent political family. He is of mixed race, maternal

Caldoche Caldoche is the name given to European inhabitants of the France, French overseas collectivity of New Caledonia, mostly native-born European origin French. The formal name to refer to this particular population is ', short for the very formal ' ...

(New Caledonians descended from French colonial settlers) descent and paternal Polynesian-

Wallisian Wallisian, or Uvean ( wls, Fakauvea, links=no), is the Polynesian language spoken on Wallis (island), Wallis Island (also known as Uvea). The language is also known as East Uvean to distinguish it from the related West Uvean language spoken on t ...

origin with his father's family having origins in

Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna, officially the Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands (; french: Wallis-et-Futuna or ', Fakauvea and Fakafutuna: '), is a French island collectivity in the South Pacific, situated between Tuvalu to the northwest, Fiji ...

and

Uvea The uvea (; Lat. ''uva'', "grape"), also called the ''uveal layer'', ''uveal coat'', ''uveal tract'', ''vascular tunic'' or ''vascular layer'' is the pigmented middle of the three concentric layers that make up an eye. History and etymolog ...

. His paternal grandmother was

Aloisia Brial Aloisia Brial (died 1972) was a queen of Uvea, ruling from 1953 until 1958.Guillaume Lachenal, Le médecin qui voulut être roi. Sur les traces d'une utopie coloniale, Editions du Seuil, 9 février 2017 (ISBN 978-2-02-114258-7 She was preceded b ...

, the former ruler and queen of Uvea of the polity of Uvea. His cousins are French

Les Républicains The Republicans (french: Les Républicains, ; LR) is a liberal-conservative political party in France, largely inspired by the Gaullist tradition. It holds pro-European views. The party was formed on 30 May 2015 from the renaming and refoundation ...

politicians

Sylvain Brial Sylvain Jacques Brial (born 16 September 1964) is a Wallisian politician and former member of the French National Assembly. Brial is from a prominent political family. His grandmother was Aloisia Brial, ''Lavelua'' (queen) of Uvéa from 1954 to ...

and

Victor Brial Victor Brial (born 9 April 1966) is a Wallisian politician. He represented Wallis and Futuna in the French National Assembly from 1997 to 2007 and was president of the Territorial Assembly of Wallis and Futuna twice, first from 1997 to 1999, and ...

and his great-uncle was Benjamin Brial. He studied at the

University of Franche-Comté The University of Franche-Comté (UFC) is a pluridisciplinary public French university located in Besançon, Franche-Comté, with decentralized campuses in Belfort, Montbéliard, Vesoul and Lons-le-Saunier. It is a founding member of the communi ...

before studying for a higher qualification diploma in mechanical engineering at the

University of the Mediterranean The University of the Mediterranean Aix-Marseille II was a French university in the Academy of Aix and Marseille. Historically, it was part of the University of Aix-Marseille based across the communes of Aix-en-Provence and Marseille in souther ...

. He then worked as a teacher in

Hienghène Hienghène (; Fwâi: ''Hyehen'') is a commune in the North Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is located on a bay called Hienghène Bay, known for its eroded limestone islets. The islets are rem ...

. In 2009 he was elected to the New Caledonian Territorial Assembly as a member of

The Rally ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

but left the party in 2013 with its leader

Gaël Yanno Gaël Yanno (born 2 July 1961 in Nouméa, New Caledonia) is a French politician, and a member of the Union for a Popular Movement. He served as President of the Congress of New Caledonia from 2014 to 2015, and again from July 2018 to May 2019. ...

to form the Caledonian People's Movement. He assumed leadership of the party in 2018. In June 2024, during the

unrest Unrest, also called disaffection, is a sociological phenomenon, including: * Civil unrest * Civil disorder * Domestic terrorism * Industrial unrest * Labor unrest * Rebellion * Riot * Strike action * State of emergency Notable historical instance ...

, he was involved in the beating of a young off-duty

Kanak The Kanak (French spelling until 1984: Canaque) are the indigenous Melanesian inhabitants of New Caledonia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southwest Pacific. According to the 2019 census, the Kanak make up 41.2% of New Caledonia's ...

policeman.

References

1973 births Living people New Caledonian people of French descent The Rally (New Caledonia) politicians Members of the Congress of New Caledonia New Caledonia politicians French people of Polynesian descent People from Nouméa {{NewCaledonia-politician-stub