In March 2022, the island of

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

, France, saw protests in response to a prison attack on nationalist leader Yvan Colonna. There were rallies in the main cities of

Ajaccio Ajaccio (, , ; French language, French: ; or ; , locally: ; ) is the capital and largest city of Corsica, France. It forms a communes of France, French commune, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Corse-du-Sud, and head o ...

, Calvi and

Bastia Bastia ( , , , ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest popu ...

that descended into violent clashes between police and protestors. Protestors threw stones and flares at

gendarmes A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to "men-at-arms" (). In France and som ...

Background

Yvan Colonna was a Corsican nationalist who was arrested in 2003 for the 1998 murder of Corsican prefect Claude Érignac. Colonna is a hero among many Corsicans, and has become a symbol of

Corsican nationalism Corsican nationalism is the concept of a cohesive nation of Corsica and a national identity of its people. The Corsican autonomy movement stems from Corsican nationalism and advocates for further autonomy for the island, if not outright indep ...

. On 2 March 2022, an inmate started beating Colonna in his prison cell, seriously injuring the latter and sending him into a coma. His attack sparked a series of riots in Corsica. Colonna died at hospital of his wounds on 21 March 2022, at the age of 61, three weeks after being attacked.

Events

On 9 March, windows were smashed and the courthouse of Ajaccio was set on fire. A bank was also damaged with a hijacked mini excavator. On 10 March, many projectiles were thrown at police outside a Calvi government building. The same night cars were set on fire in downtown Ajaccio. Rioting flared up again on 13 March, when 7,000–12,000 protesters marched in the streets in defence of Colonna. The protests spiralled into riots, and police officers sprayed demonstrators with

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...

and

water cannon A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-velocity stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of meters. They are used in firefighting, large vehicle washing, riot control, and mining. ...

as rioting continued. Rioters in Bastia attacked numerous infrastructure, including the local

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

and a tax office. Police officers said that 67 people had been injured in total; 44 of them were members of the police. The number was later revised to 102 injuries in total with 77 police injuries. The

National Liberation Front of Corsica The National Liberation Front of Corsica ( or ; , Abbreviation, abbreviated FLNC) is a name used by various Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla and paramilitary organizations that advocate an Independence, independent or Autonomy, autonomous state on t ...

announced on 16 March that they supported the demonstrators and that a last straw would result in an

insurrection Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

that could renew their militant campaign against the French government. On 21 March, Colonna died of his injuries. While protests erupted, the demonstrations were more peaceful and no riots occurred. Tensions continued and French authorities put Corsica on "maximum riot alert". On 28 March, a rally was held in front of riot police barracks near

. On 7 April 2022, two

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

s in Canale-di-Verde and Ghisonaccia were set on fire. Investigators found a tag in the Canale-di-Verde house written with the words "''For Yvan''." A few days later, a villa in Chevano, Pianottoli-Caldarello was destroyed. The walls were vandalized with phrases such as "''Per tè Yvan''," "''IFF (I Francesi Fora)''" and "''Fora a Francia!!!''" Additional messages on the building showed that the attack was claimed by a group named the ''Action des jeunes pour la renaissance de la Corse'' or AJRC. A house in Conca was burned the next day with similar messages found on the scene.

Response

President of the Executive Council of Corsica

Gilles Simeoni Gilles Simeoni (, ; born 20 April 1967) is a lawyer and politician in Corsica, France. He was mayor of Bastia from 2014 to 2016 and has been president of the executive council of Corsica since 2015. Notably, Simeoni served as the Corsican natio ...

said that the attack on Colonna was an assassination attempt, and called for the

Castex government The Castex government ( French: ''gouvernement Castex'') was the forty-second government of the French Fifth Republic, formed on 3 July 2020 and headed by Jean Castex as Prime Minister under the presidency of Emmanuel Macron. It was dissolved on ...

to respond. Due to the unrest affecting the upcoming campaign for the

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...

and

parliamentary election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...

, the French government is reportedly considering giving

autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be ...

to Corsica. On 21 March, there were demonstrations of solidarity by exponents of Sardinian independence at the French consulate of

Sassari Sassari ( ; ; ; ) is an Italian city and the second-largest of Sardinia in terms of population with 120,497 inhabitants as of 2025, and a functional urban area of about 260,000 inhabitants. One of the oldest cities on the island, it contains ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corsica unrest, 2022 March 2022 in France 2022 protests 2022 riots Ajaccio Corsican nationalism 21st century in Corsica Political riots in France March 2022 crimes in Europe Arson in 2022 Arson attacks on vehicles in France 2022 crimes in France 2022 fires in Europe Attacks on government buildings and structures in France Attacks on buildings and structures in 2022 2020s political riots Residential building arson attacks in France Attacks on post office buildings