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Masked gunmen tell British tourists to 'stay at home' in chilling threat

Corsican separatist group FLNC-UC has issued a stark Corsica travel warning, telling people to "stay at home" and threatening second-home owners in the popular Mediterranean holiday destination

[FRANCE-CORSICA-FLNC]

Members of the Front de Liberation Nationale Corse(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Masked gunmen have issued a chilling warning for people to "stay at home" and have threatened owners of second homes in a popular Mediterranean holiday destination.

The warning is aimed at individuals relocating to Corsica, a French island renowned for its stunning beaches, historic villages and delectable cuisine. Approximately a dozen armed and hooded members of the Corsican National Liberation Front-Union of Combatants (FLNC-UC) made their threats in a video released on Thursday (August 6), with machine guns clearly visible.

The separatist group, which advocates for Corsica's independence from France, directed its warning at those moving to the island and purchasing second homes. One man, thought to be the group's leader, stated: "Until our national rights are recognised and respected, we have only one message for them: stay at home."

[FRANCE-CORSICA-FLNC]

Members of the Front de Liberation Nationale Corse(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The FLNC-UC also warned that those who buy second homes in Corsica "shouldn't feel safe" and labelled the influx of people to the island as "rampant settlement-driven colonisation". French anti-terrorism prosecutors have reportedly initiated a preliminary investigation following the release of the video, reports the Express.

The investigation is believed to be looking into suspected conspiracy to commit terrorist acts, as well as the possession of weapons in relation to such activities. The video also saw the group reject proposals to grant Corsica greater autonomy while maintaining the Mediterranean island within the French Republic.

The proposed legislation has already passed through the lower house of the French parliament and is set to be reviewed by the Senate in October. Under the proposals, Corsica would be acknowledged as a distinctive historical, linguistic and cultural community, while its local assembly would be granted enhanced powers.

[Members of the Front de Liberation Nationale Corse (FLNC - National Liberation Front of Corsica), hooded, dressed in military fatigues and armed with rifles, hold a press conference at an undisclosed location on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica in January, 2024. During the clandestine press conference, hooded and armed individuals criticised autonomy measures currently in talks, deeming them incapable of "preserving the survival of the corsican people." (Photo by Pascal POCHARD-CASABIANCA / AFP) (Photo by PASCAL POCHARD-CASABIANCA/AFP via Getty Images)]

Members of the FLNC in January, 2024

However, the FLNC-UC denounced the agreement as a "farce" and argued it fails to acknowledge the Corsican people and their long-held aspirations. It stated the suggestions "lead to the denial of the existence of our people and the repudiation of the main demands of recent decades".

The organisation added: "The Corsican people will never be a vulgar administrative community." It also alleged nearly 5,000 individuals relocate to the island from France annually to work or purchase property.

According to French newspaper Corse-Matin, it highlighted a dramatic increase in second-home ownership and labelled those acquiring properties on the island as "invaders". The FLNC first surfaced in 1976, when it took responsibility for 18 attacks during a so-called "blue night", which witnessed a series of bombings throughout the island.

[Landscape with Plage de Bussaglia and Calanques de Piana]

Landscape with Plage de Bussaglia and Calanques de Piana(Image: Getty Images)

It subsequently fragmented into multiple networks due to internal feuds. A significant wave of attacks attributed to the FLNC occurred in 2023, when 45 explosions primarily targeted holiday homes and an abandoned tax office in Ajaccio.

No casualties were reported.

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