Macron appeals for calm after death of jailed Corsican nationalist
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French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday called for calm after the death in prison of Yvan Colonna, a Corsican nationalist who had become a symbol of the Mediterranean island’s problems with mainland France.
Colonna died on Monday after falling into a coma after he was strangled by a fellow inmate. Violent protests rocked the island in early March after he was attacked and his death has triggered concerns that they could flare up again.
“The most important thing is that the calm is maintained, that talks continue,” Macron said in an interview with France Bleu radio, praising local politicians for making similar calls.
Clashes between Corsican protesters and police after the attack on Colonna prompted an emergency visit by Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who said Paris could discuss autonomy for the island.
Corsica has a history of separatist violence and the government is set to keep a close eye on any signs of it just weeks before France’s presidential election.
Prosecutors started a terrorism investigation into the incident at the prison. Macron said action would be taken “because we cannot allow these kinds of acts to happen in our prisons”.
