French racists attack mosque in Corsica

This French video is about a mosque in Ajaccio in Corsica, set on fire by racists in the night of 8 April 2012.

From daily The Independent in Britain today:

Muslim prayer hall sacked by Corsican mob on Christmas Day

The crowd chanted racist slogans

Jon Stone

A crowd has attacked a Muslim prayer hall on the French island of Corsica on Christmas Day.

Around 150 people gathered in the island’s capital Ajaccio after firefighters were attacked while responding to an emergency call from a deprived district of the city.

The crowd ostensibly assembled to show support for the ambushed firefighters, but some people present began attacking a nearby Muslim prayer hall.

Windows were broken at the prayer hall and some of the mob were reported to have attempted to burn copies of the Koran found in the building.

The AFP news agency reports that the crowd shouted racist slogans, including “Arabs get out”.

French PM Manuel Valls said the break-in was “an unacceptable desecration” while interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the people who had attacked the firefighters on Thursday night would be identified and arrested.

He added that there was no place for “racism or xenophobia” in France.

Mr Cazeneuve in itself is correct in this. However, then there should be no place for the anti-Roma racism of Cazeneuve’s prime minister Valls either.

The ambush on the firefighters is said to have been carried out by “hooded youths”.

France earlier this month saw the far-right Front National win the first round of its regional elections.

The party was however largely defeated in a second round of run-off voting after widespread tactical voting by supporters of other parties.

This photo shows the destruction at the Ajaccio mosque today.

According to NOS TV in the Netherlands today, the racist mob attacked not only a mosque, but also a kebab restaurant. No one is said to have been arrested.

On December 25 and 26, the French Mediterranean Island of Corsica saw anti-Muslim riots as protesters attacked a local Muslim prayer hall in the capital, Ajaccio, ransacked it, and burned prayer books, including copies of the Koran. After the riot, local authorities ordered a ban on all protests and gatherings until January 4: here.

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