Algeria for example was a French colony with +1 million people from European origin living there for 100+ years. Those colons were opposed to equal rights and got what they deserved, i.e. they got kicked out. The 20 yo soldiers that are sent there and had to do horrible things never asked to fight for this apartheid regime. The country got its independence because the vast majority of people from France mainland didn't want the war to go on. Algerian people who wanted to stay French were slaughtered by the new independent government.

When you take Caribbean island, the indigenous population was exterminated by the colons. People who live there are all descendent from slaves and colons. The land belongs neither to the white nor to the mixed-race (there is no black population that was not mixed). Who should France grant independence to? Also, nobody is asking for those territories to become independent.

When it comes to New Caledonia, there was a lengthy process to grant 3 independence referendums. There was no recent transfer of population from the metropole to the territory. Yet, the majority voted to stay French. If you grant independence to the territory against the will of the majority of the people, what are to you doing with people who want to stay French? Ship them across the globe to a place they don't know and where they don't have any connection?

When you take the Comores, the population voted to become independent except from Mayotte. Now people are leaving the archipelago by the thousands each year to reach Mayotte where the population is enjoying much higher living standards

Now Crimea. Ukraine didn't give less rights to Russian nationals or the Russophone Ukrainians. Both communities could have lived with equal rights under the Ukrainian government but no. Putin decided that he needed a foreign enemy to strengthen his grip on hus country.

I am not says ng that France's motives have always been noble but please don't tell me that European democracies are on the same level as Russia when it comes to the respect of individual rights and the liberty of people to chose their own government.