during a support rally, the prefect of Corsica speaks of “mafia practices”

At least 200 people, elected officials, as well as the prefect of Corsica, Jérôme Filippini, gathered this Saturday, January 18, in Sainte-Lucie de Porto-Vecchio in support of the mayor of Zonza. He was targeted last week by the arson attack on the campsite he operates in his town. A gathering marked by strong words, particularly from the prefect who clearly spoke of “mafia practices”.

250 to 300 people gathered this Saturday, January 18, at the town hall of Sainte-Lucie de Porto-Vecchio. The call to support the mayor of Zonza was clearly heard. Among the supporters and numerous elected officials from all sides, one presence will perhaps have made an even greater impression, that of the prefect of Corsica.

In his speech Jérôme Filippini does not hesitate to utter strong words: “Oath of Zonza” or even “mafia practices”.

“Many people responsible for organized crime, for what we can call mafia practices, I don’t know if we should say that there is a mafia here, but in any case there are mafia practices , he declares. And when I say home it’s because I feel part of Corsica. A good number of these people have been worried, procedures are underway and this will continue. In the same way I would like, and this could be our Zonza oath at the start of the year, that all those who think of using violence to assert their interests, personal, ideological, material, do not imagine for a moment that they will be peaceful.”

Also note the participation of elected officials from the municipal opposition of Zonza as well as representatives of the executive and Femu a Corsica. As for the anti-mafia collective Massimu Susini, its members personally asked the prefect this Saturday to be present on February 27 at the Corsican Assembly on the occasion of an extraordinary session on mafia abuses.

It should be. “Awareness came from the people first, indicates Jean-Toussaint Plasenzotti, spokesperson for the collective. It now seems that this awareness is affecting elected officials and state authorities. This is a good sign, we must continue. And this will, perhaps, be the beginning of the end for the mafia.”

Last Saturday, the campsite of the mayor of Zonza, Nicolas Cucchi, was targeted by an arson attack. But today, the main person concerned finally spent very little time on his personal case.

“I cannot begin this introduction without having a thought of extremely strong support for all the Corsicans who are suffering the yoke of violence, starting with the president of the region, himself threatened, a certain number of mayors that I know, support- he. I am also thinking of the business leaders who are also threatened, the traders who are being extorted.”

Murders, fires of businesses, Corsica has seen an increase in criminal acts in recent weeks. An outbreak of violence which is, however, far from being unprecedented on the island.

“We have already had moments comparable to this in recent times, during tragedies, believes Jean-Christophe Angelini, maire de Porto-Vecchio. Even if the one we experienced had an intensity and a particular taste. I hope that this is not one more gathering, one more initiative, but really one of the starting points of something new, something unprecedented, which will in the same momentum lead this society to push back evil.”

Today, the question of the motive for the fire at the Zonza campsite has not been addressed. Could there be a link between this act and the recent adoption of the local town planning plan of the municipality which reduces the buildable areas.

The investigation opened for damage by dangerous means will attempt to determine this.