“The death of Yvan Colonna in these circumstances revived the vigor of this current” nationalist, according to a historian

“The death of Yvan Colonna in these circumstances revived the vigor of this current” nationalist, explained on franceinfo Antoine Franzini, historian specializing in Corsica, associate researcher at Gustave Eiffel University. The funeral of Yvan Colonna, who died on March 21 after a violent attack on a fellow prisoner, took place on Friday March 25 in Cargèse, his family village.

franceinfo: Does the sadness of the inhabitants of Cargèse illustrate what the majority of Corsicans feel?

Anthony Franzini: We imagine quite well that if he had died a beautiful death in prison, the reactions would have been very different. In fact, the fact of being murdered in his prison, in the heart of the state apparatus, when he was close to having served the sentence for the crime for which he was convicted, this gives rise to a emotion.

Do the conditions of his death make him a symbol?

Yes certainly because the people who participate in this emotion belong to a history that is now a century old. As early as 1920, intellectuals went from simply claiming material aid for a poor island to affirming the existence of a Corsican nation with its language, its culture, its history. All this current of ideas has lived for a century with ups and downs and the death of Yvan Colonna in these circumstances has revived the vigor of this current. The decision to lower the flags is political in a tense political context. This must be distinguished from emotion.

Is Yvan Colonna seen as a hero?

What happened today is separate from the assassination of Prefect Erignac. A lot of people think he’s innocent, but he’s been convicted. This state must be distinguished from that of being the victim of an assassination in the middle of a state prison. There is something that created a particular emotion but which will not affect the whole of society. Part of Corsican society feels concerned.