Masked Gunmen Warn Tourists and Second-Home Buyers to Stay Away From Corsica
- Armed separatists on the Mediterranean island of Corsica have released a video warning tourists and second-home buyers to stay away, describing property acquisitions by outsiders as a form...
- Approximately 12 masked and hooded militants appeared in the footage shared by the Corsican National Liberation Front-Union of Combatants (FLNC-UC).
- "Until our national rights are recognized and respected, we have only one message for them: stay at home," the speaker said in the video.
Armed separatists on the Mediterranean island of Corsica have released a video warning tourists and second-home buyers to stay away, describing property acquisitions by outsiders as a form of colonization.
Masked Militants Issue Ominous Warning to Outsiders
Approximately 12 masked and hooded militants appeared in the footage shared by the Corsican National Liberation Front-Union of Combatants (FLNC-UC). In the clip, a speaker identified as a group leader stated that anyone purchasing a second home on the French island should not feel safe.
“Until our national rights are recognized and respected, we have only one message for them: stay at home,” the speaker said in the video.
Paris Responds With Terrorism Probe
French authorities confirmed they are aware of the circulating video. Law enforcement agencies are currently investigating whether individuals linked to the FLNC-UC have participated in a criminal conspiracy intended to prepare acts of terrorism.
Settlement-Driven Colonization Fueling Tensions
The separatist collective labeled the influx of mainland buyers and foreign investors as rampant settlement-driven colonization.
Decades of Unrest on the Mediterranean Island
The FLNC name has been used by various paramilitary and pro-independence movements on the Mediterranean island since May 1975, when two armed organizations merged. The broader movement has historically campaigned for greater political autonomy, self-determination, or outright independence from France.
Splinter Factions Sustain Underground Pressure
While the largest successor faction to the original paramilitary network announced an end to its armed campaign in 2014, various splinter organizations have continued to emerge and operate on the island, maintaining pressure on the French state through threats and underground activity.