Demonstrations and violence in Corsica. Independents on a war footing after the death of Yvan Colonna, a historic militant who died last night in Marseille three weeks after being attacked in prison in Arles by another inmate, a jihadist.
"Yvan Colonna, Corsican patriot, lives for eternity. We will always be by your side", the Femu a Corsica party of Gilles Simeoni, the autonomist president of the island's executive council, tweeted in Corsican language. "Yvan Colonna, who died for Corsica", also posted on Twitter, Core in Fronte, the main independence party, accompanying the message with a black and white photo of the nationalist militant.
Colonna was sentenced to life in prison in 1988 for the murder of the prefect Claude Erignac. He had been fatally wounded by a radicalized Cameroonian inmate who attacked him during sports hours. Franck Elong Abé, this is the name of the attacker, was serving a sentence of 9 years in prison for a terrorist association. He justified his act with the fact that Colonna would have cursed and "spoke ill of the Prophet".
After the attack, there were numerous tensions that culminated last March 13 in Bastia with a demonstration in which 102 were injured, including 77 officers. The attack on Colonna in fact lasted 8 minutes under the lens of a surveillance camera, without anyone intervening in defense of the independentist. Indeed, it was even the aggressor who warned the guards.
A visit by Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin last week partially restored calm in Corsica. For the first time, the minister gave the government's willingness to engage in a dialogue that could go “as far as autonomy”.
The discussion should begin in April, but in the meantime Colonna's death has rekindled the protests. Dozens of people gathered in Bastia in front of the Palace of Justice, hanging banners against the "French statu assassinu". In Ajaccio, in front of the cathedral, other groups of people gathered in silence. While a threatening message came from the Corsican political prisoners defense association Sulidarita, which tweeted: "Down with this murderous French state."
(Unioneonline / L)