The Mediterranean island of Corsica was the scene of a Christmas Day attack on a Muslim prayer hall by a crowd chanting “Arabs out!” Glass in the front door was shattered, fixtures and fittings were broken and some copies of the Koran were set alight and stewn around outside the mosque before the police managed to restore order.
Trouble began in Ajaccio, the capital of the French-owned island, on Christmas Eve. Firefighters were called to Jardins de L’Empereur, a relatively poor part of the capital – only to be attacked by a group of young men in hoodies. Two firefighters and a police officer were injured.
The following day, a crowd estimated variously at 150-600 people assembled in front of police HQ to protest at the ambush of the firefighters. This crowd maintained their protest for two or three hours, before some of them began an apparently spontaneous march to the Jardins de L’Empereur area. Once there, the crowd attacked the prayer room.
Police ran extra patrols overnight, concentrating in particular on other prayer halls in the capital and also the Jardins de L’Empereur area. They have indicated that they will maintain a high presence in public areas until tensions have calmed.
The attack was instantly condemned by mainstream French politicians. Manuel Valls, Prime Minister of France, condemned both events on Twitter. He described the attack on the firefighters as “intolerable” and the attack on the prayer hall as “unacceptable desecration”. Interior Minister (Home Secretary) Bernard Cazaneuve also condemned both events and said there was no place for “racism and xenophobia” in France and promised to find and charge the culprits – a pledge echoed by Christophe Mirmand, head of Corsica’s Administration.
Leaders of Muslim groups in France also spoke out. Anouar Kbibech, President of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), issued a statement saying that he was distressed to hear of the copies of the Koran being burned. The Council also pointed out that Friday, 25th December was a day of prayer for both Christian and Muslims. During a TV interview, Dalil Boubakeur, the Rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, also spoke of his dismay and sadness at hearing of the attack. He called for everyone to keep calm to find a solution to the antagonisms.
The tactical voting which saw the ultra-right wing Front National (FN) kept out of office despite its strong showing in recent regional elections has done nothing to dispel racist sentiment in the population. The FN won just over 10% of the vote in the first round of the elections, its best ever showing. Nationalist parties which favour independence from France did well too – probably taking votes from the FN.
The number of attacks on Muslim targets has increased since the Paris massacres. French politicians must do a great deal more if they are to reverse this tide.
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