The mayor of Papeete, Michel Buillard says French Polynesia's President Gaston Flosse is the victim of a media lynching, with maliciously made false statements.
In a statement to the news agency, AFP, Mr Buillard says Mr Flosse has been thrown to the dogs in a way that only collective irresponsibility can do it.
He says a voice that stands out in the defence of the Polynesians' honour is that of Brigitte Girardin, the French minister in charge of overseas territories.
Mr Buillard also says those wanting independence are two-faced.
He says on one side they pretend to respect the institutions of the French republic while on the other they are anti-French and ignore democratic rules.
Mr Buillard is the territory's member of the French Assembly and belongs to Jacques Chirac's UMP party.
