A preliminary investigation was opened by the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office after the Corsican National Liberation Front (FLNL) issued a press release on Tuesday in which it claimed responsibility for 16 attacks, a court source said on Thursday, August 3.
The investigation was open to “association of criminals in order to prepare terrorist acts”, the source said. In this four-page press release sent to Corse-Matin and consulted by Agence France-Presse, the underground group claims thirteen attacks on residential buildings, one on a car “SRS Officer” and two against bank branches, Société Générale de Corte in May 2023 and Crédit Agricole de Folelli in December 2021.
FLNC calls in this text “disproportionate colonization of settlements” and one “process of annihilation of the Corsican people” who is not “not yet irreversible” and call ” as fast as possible “ Corsicans “help fight” To “acts of resistance”. The group threatens artisans, construction companies, “speculators and all those who enrich themselves at the expense of our extinction”specifically aimed at “Corsican accomplices” WHO “should be responsible” For “by selling your land, and therefore your soul, to the highest bidder”. The FLNC also denigrates talks between Paris and Corsican elected officials, believing they will not give “the best”what in “further decentralization”.
Arson surge
The latest FLNC press release is dated March 21, the anniversary of the death of independence activist Ivan Colonna, who was killed in an attack in prison. A total of 17 attacks were reported.
Corsica is currently experiencing an upsurge in arson, mostly targeting second homes, most often with nationalist labels. According to a judicial source, 50 investigations “in connection with arson or acts of destruction of various kinds” in Corsica were opened by the anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office since the beginning of the year. There were 22 in 2022, three in 2021, and four in 2020.
“Currently there are fourteen judicial investigations in the Corsican terrorism case” anti-terrorist pole of the Paris Court of Justice, the same source said. One of these instructions concerns the Ghjuventu Clandestina Corsa (Corsican Underground Youth) movement, which has been charged with at least five people. The movement announced its formation in early February and claimed responsibility for the destruction of houses.