A group of ten armed people burst into a tourist resort owned by the French company Promeo located in Castellare-di-Casinca (Northern Corsica) on December 22. Raiders held a dozen of workers and tourists and put an explosive device that left two bungalows completely ruined and severely damaged the villa owned by the director of the building site. No one was killed or injured. Villagers had denounced the tourist resort in a number of occasions as being a glaring case of land speculation. They also reported the French-owned company was granted tax exemption, which, according to the local population, would not have any positive impact on the territory.

Wave of bombs against tourist resorts

In a press release, Promeo underlined that “its activities have always been carried out according to standards”. It further added that Promeo “pays its corresponding taxes” and that “its activities will go on as normal despite the attack”. Armed actions have been on the rise in the island in recent weeks, particularly targeting tourist resorts and activities leading to what has come to be known as the ‘Balearisation of Corsica’ term coined to denote the destruction of natural and linguistic environment in the Balearic Islands. Even though any armed group claimed the attack, graffiti with the abbreviation of the National Front for the Liberation of Corsica (FLNC in Corsican) appeared in several nearby places shortly after the bombing.

“It is one of the worst attacks in recent times”, said Bastia’s public prosecutor Dominique Alzeari. He assured armed activities have intensified in the last year, amounting to a total of 80 attacks.

Sentences against political prisoners worsen

The pro-prisoners organization Sulidarità has launched a campaign to condemn “a worsening of the condition of Corsican political prisoners”. Sulidarità seeks to draw attention on the cases of Cristóbal Andreu, who was arrested while under parole, and Thierry Gonzales, who has been recently transferred to a continental prison after being allowed to return to Corsica last summer while on hunger strike. The organization accuses former Minister of Justice and Freedoms Michèle Alliot-Marie of ignoring the agreements on political prisoners reached in September, which established timid measures to send prisoners to jails near their homes.

Further information:

• Associu Sulidarità website
• L'Humanité: Corse. Attentat à la spéculation
• L'Infurmazione Pulitica Corsa: Réactions après l'action commando contre Promeo