No less than 38 injured including 24 members of the police. After an hour of parade to the cry of “French State assassin”, the demonstration in support of Yvan Colonna Sunday in Bastia turned into “riot”, according to the prosecutor of Bastia.
“Riots have been taking place in Bastia since 4:30 p.m.,” Bastia public prosecutor Arnaud Viornery told AFP at the start of the evening, “and the violence continues”.
Tension in the island since the aggression of the former shepherd
“A fire was started at the tax office” by the rioters before being extinguished by the firefighters,” he added. The demonstration, which started at 3 p.m. in a fine, cold rain from the courthouse, had previously passed off peacefully. The slogan “Statu Francese Assassinu”, taken up by the thousands of participants – 7,000 according to the authorities, 12,000 according to the organizers -, however reflected the tension on the island since March 2 and the aggression of the former shepherd in prison. of Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône), which plunged him into a coma.
“Liberta, Liberta!”: hoods on their heads for the youngest, umbrellas for the oldest, all generations were represented in a crowd over which floated numerous flags struck by the Moor’s head, as well as banners bearing the face of Colonna.
The anger overflowed as soon as the procession arrived at the prefecture at 4 p.m., with scuffles between the police and “300 hooded demonstrators”, according to the authorities, dressed in black and for some equipped with gas masks, have observed by AFP journalists. “Do not film, you French bastards”: for some, the presence of journalists on the spot was obviously not desired.
The attacks continue on Sunday evening
Tear gas and water cannons on one side, molotov cocktails, agricultural bombs and stones recovered from the railway tracks on the other: at 8 p.m., “the attacks continued in different sectors of downtown Bastia, with extreme violence “, underlined the prefecture, according to which” the rioters fired on numerous occasions with the rifle with pellet on members of the forces of order ”.
In its last press release, the Prefecture called on “the population of downtown Bastia to avoid leaving their homes”.
But some demonstrators regretted these clashes: “The demonstration was good, quiet, (…) we must not remember that the overflows”, insisted to AFP Dominique Mannucci, 50 years old. In fact, the official call for the demonstration was sober, asking for “truth and justice for Yvan, freedom for the patriots and the recognition of the Corsican people”.
“No thugs”
For Gilles Simeoni, autonomist president of the executive council of Corsica and former lawyer of Yvan Colonna, “we must go today beyond slogans”. “Anger and indignation are expressed”, he conceded to AFP, during the march: “But what matters is that the entire Corsican people are mobilized against injustice, the requirement of truth and beyond for a true political solution” between the State and Corsica.
For Marité Costa, 58, this anger can be explained: “We say “young people are thugs”, but they are not thugs, they fight for an ideal. It’s thanks to them that things have changed.” The 50-year-old refers to the decision of Prime Minister Jean Castex to lift the status of “particularly reported detainee” (DPS) of Pierre Alessandri and Alain Ferrandi, two other members of the “Erignac commando” still detained on the continent. Statute which blocked the rapprochement of the three men in a Corsican prison.
“It’s too late! The Corsicans are not fooled. We don’t care about us, ”said Antoine Negretti, 29. “If there is violence, it will be the responsibility of the state. In seven years, nothing has progressed, and in seven days of violence, things have changed. Violence is necessary”. “It’s only a small step, we want more progress, dialogue, recognition of our people,” insisted Lelia Beretti, 27.
The discovery just before the demonstration of a stock of around 300 molotov cocktails had already indicated the mood, despite numerous calls for calm in the past 48 hours. “If the emotion is legitimate, it cannot and should not lead to violence”, had thus estimated some 60 mayors and elected officials of Haute-Corse in a motion.