The body of Yvan Colonna welcomed with a guard of honor in Ajaccio – Ouest-France

The remains of Yvan Colonna arrived in Ajaccio on Wednesday evening March 23, welcomed by a hedge of honor of hundreds of people, before the funeral on Friday in Cargèse of the Corsican independence activist sentenced to life imprisonment for the assassination of the prefect Erignac in 1998. At least 1,500 people, according to authorities, lined the road leaving the airport to pay their respects. Red candle lights were lined up on the asphalt and hundreds of Corsican flags representing a Moor’s head wearing a white headband were brandished, noted an AFPTV journalist. As the hearse carrying the coffin covered with a Corsican flag passed, some in the silent crowd approached to touch the vehicle, others made the sign of the cross. Yvan Colonna was violently attacked on March 2 in the sports hall of Arles prison (Bouches-du-Rhône) by a fellow prisoner who was serving a sentence for terrorism. After almost three weeks in a coma, this former shepherd died Monday evening at the age of 61 in a Marseille hospital. Flags at half mast, “a fault” according to Emmanuel Macron Since the announcement of his death, meditation has prevailed on the island, contrasting with the scenes of violence which have punctuated the various demonstrations of support for nearly two weeks. The Collectivity of Corsica put its flags at half mast on Tuesday. Asked about this on Wednesday during an interview with M6, President Emmanuel Macron denounced “a fault”. “It is inappropriate”, added, without further comment, the head of state. On Wednesday evening, a dozen Corsican flags at half-mast were hung by demonstrators on the outside gates of the Ajaccio prefecture, with the banner “Glory to you Yvan” in Corsica. His funeral will take place Friday at 3 p.m. in Cargèse, his family village of some 1,300 inhabitants in western Corsica, according to sources familiar with the matter and Me Patrice Spinosi, one of the lawyers for the family of the deceased. No details have filtered at this stage on the course of the ceremony. Yvan Colonna’s body welcomed with a guard of honor in AjaccioEXPAND