The sailors of the Corsican Workers’ Union (STC) of the maritime companies Corsica Linea and La Méridionale have been preventing since 7 am, this Friday, March 4, the docking in Ajaccio of a ship from their competitor Corsica Ferries.
They accuse this boat of transporting police reinforcements to the island. Information denied by the authorities.
“For the moment the ship cannot enter the port,” said Pierre Mattei, CEO of Corsica Ferries. There are “more than 250 people on board, including a dozen members of the police”, he added, specifying that it was the end of the school holidays in Corsica and that there was therefore good number of people returning from holidays on this ferry.
“The prefect regrets this protest movement since the transport in question concerns gendarmerie vehicles as part of regular logistical transport, without reinforcements or law enforcement equipment in the boat”, indicated the prefecture, specifying that there were on board the ferry only five vehicles with their driver.
Ongoing discussions
“The priority is to allow passengers to disembark to prevent them from being stuck on board any longer. Discussions are underway on this subject, ”also explains the prefecture.
The STC of the two companies had called on Thursday evening in a press release “all of (s) sympathizers, members and activists to mobilize widely” to “hinder the landing of repressive troops on the island”, and “express its solidarity” with Yvan Colonna and his family.
About fifty members of the JTS were therefore present this morning on the port for the operation.
Demonstrations also took place in Corsica after the attack on Wednesday by a fellow prisoner of independence activist Yvan Colonna, in the prison of Arles in the Bouches-du-Rhône, where he was serving a sentence for the assassination of the prefect of Corsica Claude Erignac in 1998.