The French government said it was “ready to go as far as autonomy” for Corsica in an attempt to calm tensions on the Mediterranean island, while an underground movement threatened on Wednesday to take up arms again.
“We are ready to go as far as autonomy. Here, the word is said, “announced the French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, in a daily interview. Corsica Morningjust before arriving in the Mediterranean island for a two-day visit.
“These are important words, which open up a perspective, but words which should now be given extensions and concretizations”, declared to AFP the autonomist president of the executive council of Corsica, Gilles Simeoni.
Barely hours after these statements, the FLNC (National Liberation Front of Corsica) – one of the main underground independence movements – threatened to resume the fight, denouncing the state’s “contemptuous denial” and asserting that , “in our country, revolt provokes insurrection”.
The FLNC had laid down its arms since 2014, but claimed responsibility for an attack in September near the coastal town of Ajaccio. “If the French State still remained deaf […]there can be no sacrifice of youth that does not lead to a proportionate reaction on our part,” the organization warned in a press release sent to Corsica Morning.
“The discussions will necessarily be long, necessarily difficult,” warned Mr. Darmanin on Wednesday morning, nevertheless assuring that “the future [des Corses] is fully in the French Republic”.
As soon as he arrived in Ajaccio on Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Darmanin was to meet with elected officials, including Gilles Simeoni, to whom he had promised an “unprecedented cycle of discussions” on Monday.
Recalling that autonomy is “the common right of all the large islands of the Mediterranean”, Mr. Simeoni notably mentioned “the very successful statute of autonomy of the Azores”, with recognition of this people in the Portuguese Constitution and ” exclusive competences of the Government of the Azores in the main areas of daily life”.
“A rump autonomy”
This offer of autonomy was less well received on the separatist side: “The only worthwhile autonomy is that which grants legislative power” in “vital areas” such as “taxation, employment, the linguistic field and also the access to housing, ”said Josepha Giacometti, the only separatist elected to the Corsica assembly, from the Corsica Libera party, to AFP. Otherwise, it would be “rump autonomy, improved decentralization”.
Wednesday morning, several public buildings on the island were occupied. “These are peaceful occupations, which show that the mobilization remains strong and that it will continue and grow if the political response expected by everyone is not provided”, warned Gilles Simeoni.
On the tax center of Ajaccio, a banner indicating “French State assassin”, in Corsica, however showed the anger of some. But in his interview with Corsica MorningMr. Darmanin was clear: “The return to calm is a condition sine qua non of dialogue.
This anger in Corsica for two weeks erupted with the attack on Yvan Colonna on March 2 at the prison of Arles, in the south of France, where he is serving a life sentence for his participation in the assassination. of the prefect of Corsica Claude Erignac in 1998 in Ajaccio. It culminated in a near-riot on Sunday in Bastia, with 102 injured, including 77 among the police.
The attack on Yvan Colonna, still in a coma, sparked tensions between the state and the nationalists, frustrated that their victories at the polls (territorial elections of 2015, 2017 and then 2021) did not brought their demands to fruition during the quinquennium.
With less than a month to go before the first round of the French presidential election, the reopening of the Corsican file and the prospect of a possible autonomy are arousing strong reactions.
The right-wing candidate for the election, Valérie Pécresse, notably accused President Emmanuel Macron of “giving in to violence”, while on the far right side, Marine Le Pen denounced a “catastrophic” message and insisted that “Corsica must remain French”.