Fire, clashes, molotov cocktails… The assault on independence activist Yvan Colonna in prison, a week earlier, continues to rekindle the anger of part of the Corsican population.
Violent incidents, accompanied by an intrusion and the outbreak of fire in the Ajaccio courthouse, occurred on Wednesday evening, causing several injuries including two journalists.
In Ajaccio, around 400 people gathered at nightfall in front of the prefecture, where clashes very quickly broke out between demonstrators and the police.
Later that evening, protesters broke into the courthouse and set fires outside and inside the building, according to a police source.
Two arrests then took place near the courthouse, according to the same source.
Reams of paper or rubbish were burned in the lobby and other fire starters blackened the facade, but were quickly extinguished by firefighters.
Read alsoAggression of Yvan Colonna: the government fears the conflagration in Corsica
"There was a fire on the ground floor of the court, no spread to the floors but a lot of damage", confirms Jean-Jacques Peraldi, the director of the fire and rescue services of Corse-du-Sud .
At least 14 people were injured, including a TF1 journalist in the leg, according to the prefecture of Corse du Sud.
Around half past midnight, clashes continued.
Farm bombs and sling shots
In Bastia, 23 CRS and three civilians were injured, including a photographer from the daily Corse-Matin, according to a report from the Haute-Corse prefecture published at the end of the demonstration around 9:30 p.m.
“The demonstrators fired molotov cocktails, agricultural bombs, iron balls, sling shots” and “the CRS maintained the distance with the demonstrators by using tear gas”, details in a press release the prefecture.
"Only one LBD shot was fired and hit an approaching protester with a molotov cocktail in the lower parts," she said.
In a joint message, the management of Corse-Matin and the unions condemned "with the greatest firmness" the attack on their photographer and "the threats to which he was subjected".
[Press Release] Update on the violence in Bastia and Calvi.
François Ravier @Prefet2B condemns this violence and calls on everyone to calm down ➡️ https://t.co/lv3DfMzU5F pic.twitter.com/4sbsNAbzz3
– Prefect Haute-Corse 🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@Prefet2B) March 9, 2022
In Calvi (Haute-Corse), after a calm start to the demonstration, "about forty demonstrators, hooded, threw molotov cocktails at the sub-prefecture and broke windows with stones", the prefecture again reported to the 6th day of mobilization after the attack on Yvan Colonna by a fellow prisoner convicted of terrorism which plunged her into a coma.
A high school student hit by an LBD shot
Yvan Colonna was imprisoned in the central house of Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône) after being sentenced to life imprisonment for the assassination of the prefect of Corsica Claude Erignac in 1998. In this context, the authorities called for "the appeasement and dialogue in order to avoid any new victims".
Already on Wednesday evening, seven wounded had been counted among the demonstrators in Ajaccio, including a 16-year-old high school student hit in the head by a shot from defense ball launchers (LBD).
In addition, on Wednesday, the nationalist organizations gathered in Corte recorded the holding of a unitary demonstration on Sunday afternoon in Bastia, despite the reluctance of the Colonna family, who said they feared "a new tragedy" in the context.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Jean Castex had lifted the status of "particularly reported detainee" of Yvan Colonna, sentenced for the assassination of the prefect Erignac, a decision which was deemed much too late in Corsica.
Regarding the two other detainees of the Erignac commando who are also calling for their rapprochement on the island, "the Prime Minister will have to decide soon given the present circumstances", government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday.
