Paris could offer “autonomy” to Corsica, the French government has said, suggesting the state might be willing to loosen its historic, centralised grip on the Mediterranean island as it struggles to calm violent protests, reports The Guardian.
“We are ready to go as far as autonomy – there you go, the word has been said,” the interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, told the regional newspaper Corse Matin before a two-day visit, that comes after two weeks of rioting in which 100 people were injured and public buildings and police were attacked with homemade explosive devices.
But Darmanin added that “there can be no dialogue while violence is going on”. He said: “A return to calm is an essential condition.”
Corsican leaders remained cautious and said there must be firm proposals for talks. The island would need “strong signals before believing” change was coming, the regional parliament head, Marie-Antoinette Maupertuis, said.
It is unprecedented for a French government minister to suggest offering autonomy for Corsica, an island of 330,000 people that lies closer to Italy than mainland France.
The birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte has been French since the 18th century and while its status and calls for more independence has long vexed Paris, they have been brushed under the carpet by successive French presidents.
The protests on the island have created a major government crisis with just weeks before April’s presidential election.