A brutal prison assault on prominent Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna has brought thousands of people onto the streets to protest against the French state. Students, but also schoolkids as young as 12, are driving the angry, and sometimes violent, demonstrations.
Between 7,000 and 10,000 people marched in the northern town of Bastia on Sunday, answering a call by nationalists for the immediate release of political prisoners, more autonomy for the island and better recognition for Corsican people and their language.
