Demonstrations in Corsica degenerate into riots | Abroad

In Bastia, in the north of the island, several thousand people took part in the protest, according to local media. Police had already closed some streets and banned fireworks as a precaution, after recent demonstrations had also turned into violent riots.

Attack on prisoner

Demonstrations have been going on in Corsica for over a week. The reason is the attack on the Corsican separatist Yvan Colonna by a fellow prisoner, in which Colonna was seriously injured. The 61-year-old separatist, who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of the governor of Corsica in 1998, has been in a coma since the attack. Protesters accuse French authorities of failing to transfer Colonna to a prison in Corsica against his request.

Colonna, who was only arrested in 2003 after being found as a shepherd in the Corsican mountains after a five-year manhunt, is still regarded by many nationalist Corsicans as a hero in the fight for independence from France.

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