“25 years later, it is he who brings us together in the service of peace”, for Gérald Darmanin

This Monday, February 6, the Minister of the Interior is in Ajaccio to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the death of the prefect Claude Erignac, on February 6, 1998. This is the first time in five years that a member of the government has attended this ceremony.

This February 6, 2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the death of the prefect Claude Erignac in Ajaccio. A ceremony attended by the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin.

It is the first, for five years and the participation of Emmanuel Macron, that a member of the government takes part in the event.

In a tweet, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne wrote: “To assassinate a Prefect is to strike the whole Nation. On February 6, 1998, the country was bereaved by the cowardly assassination of a great servant of the state. 25 years later, we do not forget the prefect Claude Erignac. Tribute to this great figure of the Republic.“

During his speech, Gérald Darmanin describes Claude Erignac as a “man of heart, bright, straight and honest. A great servant of the state“.”To serve, in the front row, uncovered, in the midst of passions“, are the words chosen to describe the prefect’s commitment.

For the Minister of the Interior, “25 years ago, the Isle of Beauty was stained with the blood of a good man“. This assassination has “bereaved Corsica and therefore the whole of France. The memory of Claude Erignac is inseparable from the history of France“.

Referring to the large demonstrations organized a few days after the assassination of the prefect, where thousands of people marched behind the words: “never again“, Gérald Darmanin declares: “This cry, 25 years later, forces us to build lasting peace“.

This is so for “the cause of peace” that “the government has resumed dialogue and initiated projects“.”Time has done its work, a generation has passed. If the assassination of the prefect Claude Erignac had made France fall into darkness, 25 years later, we must choose the light.“

For the Minister of the Interior it is now appropriate “to write a new page of the History of Corsica, the government of the Republic is ready, it is waiting for you, it is reaching out“. He concludes : “Ladies and Gentlemen, the dead are watching us. Long live Corsica, long live the Republic and long live France.“

Find the full speech of Gérald Darmanin:

About 200 people attended the ceremony. If the president of the executive council, Gilles Simeoni, and the president of the Assembly of Corsica, were present, no elected or known face of the Corsica Libera or Core in Fronte parties. Note the presence of the mayor of Porto-Vecchio, Jean-Christophe Angelini.

Nevertheless, many elected representatives from left and right took part in the ceremony: The deputy for the 1st constituency of Corse-du-Sud and former mayor of Ajaccio, Laurent Marcangeli, the former deputy and former mayor of Porto-Vecchio, Camille de Rocca Serra, and the former mayor of Bastia and former minister, Émile Zuccarelli.

In the row of mayors: Antoine Versini, mayor of Cristinacce and brother of José Versini, sentenced to 15 years in prison for complicity in the Erignac affair.

This year, for the first time, all the mayors of Corsica are invited. At the end of the ceremony, a republican lunch was organized at the prefecture with around twenty councilors.

According to our information, the cycle of discussions between the government and the elected islanders could resume on February 24, the day after the decision on the semi-freedom status concerning Alain Ferrandi. The minister could return to Corsica by then.