Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna was buried on Friday in his birthplace of Cargèse, a tiny village in the west of the Corsica, amid unease in Paris over fierce public support for the convicted killer.
Colonna was announced dead on Monday after being strangled and attacked in prison three weeks earlier.
His body arrived on the island late Wednesday evening; several thousand people lined the roads leading away from Ajaccio airport to pay hommage to the man whom many islanders see as a hero.
Supporters waved the black-and-white Corsican flag and held a banner reading "Gloria à tè !" (Glory to You).
As the hearse drove by, some people came forward to touch the car, others made the sign of the cross.
"We want to show the French state that there is such a thing as the Corsican people, and that when one of our own is taken, we're all concerned, regardless of any divisions we might have," Jean Mattei, a local musician told AFP.
Jailed for life over the murder of police chief Claude Erignac in 1998, 61 year-old Colonna was violently attacked by a fellow inmate at the Arles on 2 March.
The suspect, Franck Elong Abe, jailed for terrorist activities, is now facing a further investigation by national terror court.
"What happened to him in prison is unacceptable," said retiree Monique Antonietti, adding she was torn between feeling "hate and sadness".
Although few details have emerged so far, Colonna's funeral is to take place in his family fiefdom of Cargèse on the western coast, home to around 1,300 people.
Sulidarita, an association supporting Corsican prisoners, has called for a day of mourning on Friday.
— Associu Sulidarità (@AssoSulidarita) March 22, 2022
Government complicit
Vigils have been held across the island since Tuesday, with students gathering each day to place candles in front of the church in Ajaccio. Some 300 people attended a service on Tuesday evening.
Unlike the previous weeks of often violent protests, the events took place in a calm atmosphere.
Colonna's request for a special status to be lifted so he could be transferred to a Coriscan prison, closer to his family, was consistently refused over the years, stoking ill feelings towards the central government's handling of his imprisonment.
Many Corsicans felt that in refusing this request, the French government was complicit in his death. Banners reading "the French state is an assassin" featured prominently during recent protests.
Flags lowered, feathers ruffled
Local authorities lowered the flags to "express the collective sadness after the tragic death of Yvan Colonna," and the regional assembly cancelled its session on Thursday "to respect the family's mourning period".
"Corsica has lost a patriotic son, who loved his native home," they said.
President Emmanuel Macron did not appreciate the gesture, telling French media M6 on Wednesday that lowering the flag was " an error" and "inappropriate".
Less than three weeks before presidential elections, the government has made several efforts to bring calm to a tense situation.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin visited the island last week, promising negotiations on a degree of autonomy.
Inquiries underway
On Tuesday, Jean Castex said that the two other inmates accused in the Erignac murder, Alain Ferrandi et Pierre Alessandri, both serving life sentences in a prison near Paris, would be repatriated to Borgo prison in Corsica by mid April.
Conclusions to the administrative inquiry into Colonna's situation would also be revealed in April, the government spokesperson announced.
Meanwhile, a special terror court has opened an investigation into prison attack on 2 March, which was caught on CCTV.
The suspect told investigators Colonna had insulted God on several occasions.
He also said he "did not attack on behalf of any group," that it was not premeditated and that he acted alone.
"I consider that God was hitting Yvan Colonna via my hands," he explained.
