Another angry Sunday in Corsica. The demonstration for Yvan Colonna, an independence activist fatally attacked in prison, degenerated this Sunday in Ajaccio, with violent clashes with the police.
These clashes between more than a hundred young people, often hooded and equipped with gas masks, and the police, began around 4 p.m. in front of the prefecture, immediately after the arrival of the procession of demonstrators which brought together 4,000 people according to the prefecture, 14,000, according to the organizers. Far from dispersing, many demonstrators observed, even encouraged the thugs. Others sang the Corsican anthem, the “Dio vi salvi Regina”.
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Responding to the throwing of Molotov cocktails and agricultural bombs, the police responded with water lances and tear gas canisters. About 30 people were injured, including at least one seriously, according to firefighters. No report was provided by the police who had their own rescue service, according to a fire officer.
Police station targeted
From the same source, several vehicles were set on fire. At the end of the afternoon, the clashes continued near the town hall, some 500 meters from the prefecture, where smoke escaped from a building whose gas pipe was on fire. As shown in a video shot by Corse-MatinMolotov cocktails were also thrown in the direction of the city police station.
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Clashes were also noted near the CRS barracks in Furiani, near Bastia, already targeted by protesters on Sunday.
Faced with the risks of overflow, the police force was this Sunday, compared to the last few weeks, more important in Ajaccio, in particular in front of the prefecture and the courthouse. Preventive checks before the demonstration had led to the seizure of several dozen projectiles, including dozens of petanque balls.
Discussions on a possible autonomy of Corsica delayed?
The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, had promised, during his visit to Corsica from March 16 to 18, to open “from the first week of April” negotiations on “all Corsican issues ”, Including“ the institutional evolution towards a status of autonomy that remains to be clarified ”.
It remains to be seen whether this new violence will not disrupt this scenario. In a document they co-signed on March 18, Gérald Darmanin and Gilles Simeoni (the autonomous president of the executive council of Corsica) had agreed “that the implementation of this historic process could not” be considered. than in a calm and calm general setting ”.