Protests in Corsica after Qur'an attack

MONDAY 28 DECEMBER 2015

Hundreds of people flying the Moor's Head flag of Corsica defy a ban on public gatherings following an attack on a Muslim prayer room that saw copies of the Qur'an burned.

Several hundred people marched through neighbourhoods of Ajaccio, the capital of the French Mediterranean island, despite the official ban that came after days of tension.

Many groups of protestors waved banners featuring the Maure or Moor's Head symbol, a stylised depiction of a black African flace.

The Moor's Head is featured on the flag of Corsica and is popular with Corsican nationalists who want autonomy or independence from France.

The authorities had earlier banned public gatherings in the area until at least 4 January.

The crowds avoided the poor Jardins de l'Empereur neighbourhood of the city, where a small group of protesters attacked a Muslim prayer room on Friday.

Trouble began late on Thursday, when firefighters were reportedly lured to the district before being attacked by "hooded youths", according to local media.

A peaceful demonstration on Friday in support of the firefighters turned ugly when around 300 people went to the scene of the attack, apparently blaming local Arab residents for the violence.

Some chanted "Arabs out" and "It's our home!", before a small group tried to ransack and set fire to a local Muslim prayer home, damaging copies of the Qur'an. A kebab restaurant was also attacked.

French politicans including Prime Minister Manuel Valls have condemned the attack.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve vowed to arrest the perpetrators of both the attack on the emergency services and the prayer hall, saying there was no place for "racism and xenophobia" in France.

But some marchers denied they were racist, shouting: "We fight against scum, not against Arabs!" and "We aren't thugs, we aren't racists!"