Frederic Michel edited by Wassila Belhacine
modified to
10:42 a.m., April 04, 2022
Return to calm Monday morning in Corsica, after another night of violence following a demonstration in tribute to Yvan Colonna. The rally degenerated Sunday in Ajaccio, where several thousand people had gathered. Clashes broke out between a hundred young people and the police in front of the police station and the prefecture. Twenty people were injured, three of them seriously.
Twenty injured, three seriously
Monday morning, the Corsicans have the impression of reliving the same scenario. The newspaper Corsica morning headlined “It’s the Neverending Story”. In Ajaccio, this new mobilization triggered clashes between demonstrators and the police, which continued late into the evening. Some inhabitants of the imperial city support these demonstrations.
“We unfortunately encourage them because it’s the only way for the state to understand. The discussions between the state and the Corsican people are going nowhere. We must continue to maintain the pressure so that things move forward” , explains a woman at the microphone of Europe 1.
There are about twenty injured, three of them seriously, including a woman who had her calf torn off. The worst was avoided, a gas pipe caught fire, three buildings had to be evacuated near the Ajaccio market place. The firefighters, caught in the crossfire, suffered several tear gas shots, which added to the tension a few days of crucial negotiations with the Minister of the Interior.
“Autonomy in Corsica, without the recognition of the Corsican people, it has no value”
“He dropped the word autonomy. A few hours later, the President of the Republic said that there were red lines not to be crossed. But autonomy in Corsica, without the recognition of the Corsican people, it did not no value. So do we say there is no taboo and we discuss everything? This is not to question the unity of France, it is to recognize a specificity”explains a demonstrator.
“Negotiations are all well and good, but you need facts,” adds another. And these negotiations, which are to be held this Friday at Place Beauvau, could be adjourned. The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, seems exasperated by the violence. Like other Corsicans who also condemn them.