Yvan Colonna is back in Corsica. His body arrived in Ajaccio on Wednesday evening welcomed by a guard of honor of hundreds of people, before the funeral Friday at 3 p.m. in Cargèse of the independence activist sentenced to life for the assassination of the prefect Erignac in 1998.
At least 1,500 people, according to the authorities, were massed along the road leaving the airport to pay their respects. Red lanterns were lined up on the asphalt and hundreds of Corsican flags representing a Moor’s head wearing a white headband were brandished. As the hearse carrying the coffin covered with a Corsican flag passed, some in the silent crowd approached to touch the vehicle, others made the sign of the cross.
“When we touch one of ours, we are all there”
“We want to show the French state that there is a Corsican people” and that “when we touch one of ours, we are all there, whatever divisions we may have”, reacted Jean Mattei, a well-known figure in the island music scene. “What happened to him in prison is unacceptable,” continued Monique Antonietti, a 63-year-old retiree who says she feels “between hatred and sadness.”
Yvan Colonna was violently attacked on March 2 in the sports hall of the prison of Arles, in the Bouches-du-Rhône, by a fellow prisoner who was serving a sentence for terrorism. After almost three weeks in a coma, this former shepherd died Monday evening at the age of 61 in a Marseille hospital.
flags at half mast
Since the announcement of his death, meditation has prevailed on the island, contrasting with the scenes of violence that have punctuated the various demonstrations of support for nearly two weeks. The Collectivity of Corsica put its flags at half mast on Tuesday. Asked about this on Wednesday during an interview with M6, President Emmanuel Macron denounced “a fault”. “It is inappropriate”, added, without further comment, the head of state.
On Wednesday evening, a dozen Corsican flags at half-mast were hung by demonstrators on the outside gates of the Ajaccio prefecture, with the banner “Glory to you Yvan” in Corsica.