Corsican separatists FLNC threaten French newcomers in Corsica

FLNC issues ultimatum to 'French invaders' in Corsica

Around fifteen hooded individuals, armed with rifles and submachine guns, appeared in a clandestine press conference broadcast by the newspaper Corse-Matin. The armed group Front de Libération Nationale Corse (FLNC), a Corsican separatist organisation, took advantage of the summer to reignite its push against what it calls the "French invaders" settling on the island. "Stay in your own homes!" is one of the threats that the French authorities are taking very seriously. The national prosecutor's office has already peine an investigation into incivil conspiracy.

An identity standoff

The scene has it all: individuals dressed in black, armed, posing for the camera in a secret location. The Corsican independence movement, which has been demanding secession for decades, is now trying to capitalise on discontent over housing pressure and the arrival of second homes. Some see it as legitimate cultural self-defence; others, as a violent drift that damages the cause.

The Corsican language, descended from Tuscan, becomes a banner raised against French. But not everyone endorses the methods. Even among those sympathetic to the resistance, a distinction emerges: attacking Europeans of a similar culture is a mistake. The analysis, however, runs into the spectre of the Corsican mafia, which has historically parasitised the movement.

As the investigation moves forward, the island remains divided. The FLNC has shown, once again, that the Corsican summer is never entirely peaceful.