1 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:08,680 Speaker 1: Ah, welcome to it could happen here the podcast where 2 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:12,559 Speaker 1: this Today I sit down with my buddy Jake Hanrahan 3 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: and we talk about Corsica. Jake, how's the showy? How 4 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 1: you how you feeling? Yeah, I'm all right, thank so. 5 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:21,960 Speaker 1: I've got a bit of a flu, but otherwise everything's 6 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:26,239 Speaker 1: really good. One. Yeah, um, we you just took a 7 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:31,280 Speaker 1: little reporting trip um down to the island of Corsica Um, 8 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:32,879 Speaker 1: which is not a place I know much about, and 9 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:34,279 Speaker 1: I'm going to guess not a place most of our 10 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:36,239 Speaker 1: listeners not much about. So why don't you Why don't 11 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 1: you start with kind of like what what brought you 12 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 1: down there? Yeah? No, it's a really good point. A 13 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 1: lot of people don't even know it exists. I sent 14 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:46,880 Speaker 1: the documentary made Um with Popular Front to a friend 15 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:49,599 Speaker 1: of mine today and he said, brother, us the first 16 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:52,560 Speaker 1: time I've ever heard of Corsica Like a lot of 17 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 1: people don't know. Boy. It's so it's a very old island, um. 18 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: You know, more than two hundred years people have inhabited 19 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:01,840 Speaker 1: the plays, but generally for the last kind of two 20 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:07,080 Speaker 1: hundred years there's been an on again, off again independence movement. 21 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:10,319 Speaker 1: They're people that don't want to be under the control 22 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:13,160 Speaker 1: of France or whoever. They want control of their own island. 23 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 1: Because Corsican is quite a specific culture. Um, it's very 24 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,320 Speaker 1: different to French culture, it's different to Italian culture. They 25 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: even have their own language called Course. Unfortunately, it's kind 26 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:27,319 Speaker 1: of dying out, as you know, a lot of languages 27 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: do in kind of contested areas if you like. Um. 28 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,560 Speaker 1: But yeah, so so they've always kind of wanted to 29 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:37,919 Speaker 1: be independent in some way. Not everybody, not the whole place. 30 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: I'm sure you'll find some course Becans that will say 31 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 1: their course and Confrench, but generally the majority of people 32 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 1: if you go there and say, well are you they'll 33 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:49,520 Speaker 1: tell you with Corsican, we're not French with Corsican. So 34 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 1: in the nineties seventies, that kind of coalesced was rebirthed, 35 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: if you like, with the backdrop of you know, guns, 36 00:01:57,120 --> 00:02:00,600 Speaker 1: bombs and independence movements of course Europe and a group 37 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: called the f l n C formed the Nationalist Liberation 38 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: Front for Corsica and they arrived with twenty one bombs 39 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: on the island in one night. I mean not arrived, 40 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 1: you know, they were already there, of course, but they 41 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:20,920 Speaker 1: bombed twenty one times in one night, mostly French infrastructure, 42 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,080 Speaker 1: and they were all very very well armed. There was 43 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: literally hundreds of members and at one point I have 44 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 1: to I don't want to say this because it's been 45 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:32,799 Speaker 1: a while since I looked at the research, but if 46 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:34,919 Speaker 1: I'm right, at one point in the in the late 47 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: seventies or early eighties, the Effllency was actually the most 48 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:43,360 Speaker 1: active militant or terrorist group in the whole of Europe, 49 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: even even more active than the Provisional IRA. Now Provisional 50 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 1: IRA called a lot more people the f l n C. 51 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 1: Their targets weren't really to kill people. They were to 52 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:55,920 Speaker 1: blow up holiday homes and blow up French infrastructure. They 53 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 1: didn't have open gun battles, and they did assassinate the 54 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:04,440 Speaker 1: the highest ranking French officer on Corsica on the island eventually. 55 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:06,960 Speaker 1: But yeah, so so there was this real backdrop of 56 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 1: very militant um independence. When I say nationalists, it's not 57 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: it's not what we might associate with like far right nationalists. 58 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:20,239 Speaker 1: You know, when an independent movement doesn't have its own country, 59 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 1: you know, the ultra nationalism in their sense comes out 60 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:25,240 Speaker 1: in a very different way. It's not we want to 61 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:28,520 Speaker 1: ban everybody else from here. It's simply we want our country, 62 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:30,920 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. So when I say ultra nationalists, 63 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 1: that's not to be confused with fascist ultra nationalist. It's 64 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 1: very different. Not to say that couskins all believe in 65 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 1: in leftist causes and that that wouldn't be true. A 66 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 1: lot of them do. There's a big socialist element to 67 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 1: to the cause, and there's also quite a right wing 68 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:48,480 Speaker 1: element to the cause, but ultimately they all kind of 69 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 1: want the same thing, autonomy or independence of Corsica. So yeah, 70 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: So that that's the kind of history very briefly of 71 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:59,520 Speaker 1: militant independence movements in Corsica. FLNC put down their guns 72 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 1: and recently one of the fln C was suspected FLNC 73 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 1: militants who shot this this high ranking French official that 74 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 1: I told you about. Um this this guy is called 75 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 1: Evan Colina. He was arrested after the shooting in the 76 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: nineties and sent to a French prison for life. And 77 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: on March the sixth, I believe it was, he was 78 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:25,479 Speaker 1: no very much. Second, he was attacked in a French 79 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:28,640 Speaker 1: prison by a Jahadics inmate and beaten into a coma. 80 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:32,440 Speaker 1: Yesterday or two days ago now he died of his injuries. 81 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:35,279 Speaker 1: Ever since he was beaten into this comma, the youth 82 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:37,520 Speaker 1: would just kind of lit the place on fight. You know, 83 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:41,280 Speaker 1: they were really clashing very violently. And for for the 84 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 1: last kind of seven years since there was as a 85 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:45,720 Speaker 1: was a relative calm on the island in terms of 86 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: political activism and militancy, the politicians, the more moderate parties 87 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: have tried to do this politically and for the first 88 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:55,200 Speaker 1: time in a while, the youth have gone, not fuck it, 89 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:57,640 Speaker 1: We're not playing that anymore. We're we're going to knock 90 00:04:57,680 --> 00:04:59,360 Speaker 1: the place about. We're going to smash the shop up. 91 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:03,000 Speaker 1: And basically it's kind of worked, which we can go into. 92 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:04,839 Speaker 1: But yeah, so sorry to go on a lot, but 93 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 1: there's quite a lot to it because obviously, like you said, 94 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:08,720 Speaker 1: a lot of people don't know. But one thing I 95 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:11,400 Speaker 1: always say is Corsica is just one of the most 96 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:15,159 Speaker 1: beautiful places anybody will go to. Like objectively, it's idyllic. 97 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:19,480 Speaker 1: It's not really had this horrible holiday home vibe there 98 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:23,839 Speaker 1: because genuinely, when when some contractors tried to kind of 99 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:26,640 Speaker 1: gentrify a course to come and turn it into the 100 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 1: next ib through I believe one of the quotes was 101 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:32,000 Speaker 1: from one of the people doing this. The f l 102 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:34,200 Speaker 1: n C kind of waited for them to build their 103 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 1: homes and then blew them all up and blew up 104 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:39,760 Speaker 1: all their hotels. So it was like they're like, you're 105 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:41,760 Speaker 1: not going to do that here. A lot of these 106 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:45,000 Speaker 1: companies were infringing on the environment, which is beautiful there. 107 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:47,440 Speaker 1: And yeah, so there's a lot more to it, but generally, 108 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:53,400 Speaker 1: you know, this all kind of revolves around militant independence. Yeah, 109 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:56,760 Speaker 1: that's interesting. I mean, I think it's fascinating the idea 110 00:05:56,880 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 1: of targeting, like the degree to which a lot of 111 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:02,000 Speaker 1: this seems to be focused on stopping this place from 112 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:06,240 Speaker 1: turning into another vacation destination, or like rich people's second 113 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:10,719 Speaker 1: homes push out the population that's born there. Um. I 114 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 1: think there's a lot of places that, like organizer complaining 115 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 1: about that sort of thing. Um, But I'm not aware 116 00:06:17,880 --> 00:06:20,440 Speaker 1: of anyone who's gone to these kind of lengths to 117 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:24,560 Speaker 1: stab themselves from turning into another a visa. Yeah. Yeah, 118 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:28,520 Speaker 1: And honestly, if you go to Corsica and see how 119 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 1: beautiful it is, not just I mean, it's one of 120 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:31,800 Speaker 1: the few places in Europe where you can see the 121 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:34,920 Speaker 1: mountains from the beach. You know, it's incredible island. I've 122 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:36,760 Speaker 1: been obsessed with this place since I was about twenty 123 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:39,560 Speaker 1: four years old. Firstly from the nature and the beauty there, 124 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:42,680 Speaker 1: but secondly I was very interested in the militant group there, 125 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:47,000 Speaker 1: um because the culture there is so different. But yeah, 126 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 1: if you look at the place, you go there and 127 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 1: you realize, like, right, this place is very much worth preserving. 128 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 1: I don't want to act like there hasn't been businesses 129 00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:57,919 Speaker 1: doing their thing there. There definitely is, but certainly it 130 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 1: feels preserved. There's no high rises. All of the old 131 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:05,080 Speaker 1: buildings are still there and they're still intact. And you 132 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:07,279 Speaker 1: know when when these big businesses came in and a 133 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:09,560 Speaker 1: lot of these businessmen were almost showing off like yeah, 134 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:13,320 Speaker 1: we're gonna turn course occur into Waibetha, which as a 135 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 1: brit Um I would apologize to anyone living inever, you know, 136 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 1: like having sex in the street and throwing up at 137 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:26,080 Speaker 1: bars and everything here you go there, Um, it's kind 138 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:29,360 Speaker 1: of been turned into one big not the Great club, 139 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:33,440 Speaker 1: yeah yeah, not the Great Club definitely. Yeah. So so 140 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:35,400 Speaker 1: you know, it's it's one of these ones where It's 141 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:37,520 Speaker 1: like I could kind of understand. I'm not saying anyone 142 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:40,480 Speaker 1: should bomb anywhere, certainly not, but I do understand the 143 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:43,080 Speaker 1: sentiment there. And one of the one of my course 144 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:46,240 Speaker 1: and friends said, um, some people were calling it like 145 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:49,360 Speaker 1: the cold bed policy. So you come to our island, 146 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: you buy a holiday home, and if you leave that 147 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:53,800 Speaker 1: bed cold as in you're not even living here, it's 148 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:56,680 Speaker 1: gonna get blown up, you know if you like. So 149 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:01,120 Speaker 1: very militant, very violent, but if effective. I mean, it 150 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:02,880 Speaker 1: doesn't mean that you have to agree with it, but 151 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:05,920 Speaker 1: no one can deny that it hasn't been effective. But 152 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,080 Speaker 1: at the same time, there's a very big mafia presence 153 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:10,120 Speaker 1: on the island as well, so that you know, it's 154 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:11,920 Speaker 1: not to say that everything is all for the people. 155 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:16,040 Speaker 1: I'm going to guess that the mafia is more or 156 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:19,240 Speaker 1: less on the side of, you know, turn this place 157 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:21,800 Speaker 1: into a vacation destination because that's where the money is. 158 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:25,320 Speaker 1: That that would be my essentially. Really that's interesting. No, 159 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,760 Speaker 1: So the unfortunately the independence movement, not all of them, 160 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:30,400 Speaker 1: but there is an element to it that is very 161 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:34,280 Speaker 1: hand in hand with the mafia. Most definitely, perhaps some 162 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:40,760 Speaker 1: people that were independent militants are now mafia if you like. Um, 163 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:44,040 Speaker 1: and people have been killed on the island quite a lot. 164 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 1: There's quite a lot of you know, unsolved murders there. 165 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:50,680 Speaker 1: It's quite sad. Um. But no, they they were more 166 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 1: for keeping their own interests. You know, Um, we have 167 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:56,719 Speaker 1: this island, we can run the docks, we can run this, 168 00:08:56,880 --> 00:09:00,079 Speaker 1: we can run that. And whilst what you said like 169 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:01,959 Speaker 1: makes sense, right, you would think, oh, no, they'd be 170 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:04,520 Speaker 1: for this money. I think what they want. They're still nationalists. 171 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:06,480 Speaker 1: At the end of the day. They won't control, but 172 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:09,000 Speaker 1: they won't control in their own way. If the big 173 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:11,360 Speaker 1: business comes in and start saying, oh, yeah, we're doing 174 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:12,880 Speaker 1: this and that and the other, and we're bringing all 175 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:15,440 Speaker 1: these people in via the docks, I guess they lose 176 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:18,319 Speaker 1: control of that essentially. So they were very much on 177 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 1: the side of yeah, do what you like sort of thing, 178 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:25,520 Speaker 1: and I think fascinating. Yeah, so very unique, very specific place. 179 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: You mentioned that this action you shut up for people 180 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:34,480 Speaker 1: bombed twenty one targets in one night. In one night. Yeah, 181 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:37,120 Speaker 1: when you say bomb, are we talking like your standard 182 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:40,079 Speaker 1: molotabs or were they are? Were they kind of like 183 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:43,920 Speaker 1: more elaborate devices? Shall we say, how would you describe 184 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:46,560 Speaker 1: what they were using? Yeah, no, it's a good question. 185 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:48,360 Speaker 1: I mean when you think of twenty one in one night, 186 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:52,920 Speaker 1: you think, right, like molotovs night, something simple. Yeah, yeah, No, No, 187 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:57,080 Speaker 1: they weren't even pipe bombs. You're talking fertilizer bombs. Yeah, 188 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:00,439 Speaker 1: like blowing whole buildings, you know, not all of them, 189 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:02,520 Speaker 1: you know, there were some smaller ones, but some very 190 00:10:02,679 --> 00:10:06,679 Speaker 1: significant ones um and very very big. The way of 191 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:09,720 Speaker 1: Corsica is the way it's laid out. Like I said, 192 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 1: it's a small place. I think currently like three people 193 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:15,480 Speaker 1: lived there roughly, and there were mountains, there were beaches, 194 00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:19,360 Speaker 1: there were very rural communities. It's an islands. It's quite 195 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:21,839 Speaker 1: far away from France. Actually, it's very close to Italy 196 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:25,560 Speaker 1: um and Sardinia is just to its south. And it's 197 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:27,599 Speaker 1: just for them. If you were you couldn't ask for 198 00:10:27,640 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 1: a better location, if you wanted to be a kind 199 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:31,880 Speaker 1: of guerrilla group, you know, you really couldn't. It's kind 200 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:33,959 Speaker 1: of built for them. So they just got away with it, 201 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:36,840 Speaker 1: you know, farmers whatever, they went into the mountains, build 202 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:40,000 Speaker 1: bombs dropped them off. And not to say that everybody 203 00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 1: was for them, but there is some It wasn't just 204 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 1: we want independence, there was there was subjugation by the French. 205 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:48,760 Speaker 1: You know. Firstly, they're like, we don't want to be 206 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:50,960 Speaker 1: a French colony or whatever you would call it anymore, 207 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:54,480 Speaker 1: which I think anybody that wants their determination to not 208 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:58,040 Speaker 1: be held by a former colonial power it's fine, or 209 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:00,800 Speaker 1: current colonial power if you like, I think, yeah, fair 210 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:04,040 Speaker 1: play to them. But secondly, they're one of the most 211 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:07,680 Speaker 1: poorer regions, despite having all this holiday stuff, despite having 212 00:11:07,679 --> 00:11:09,840 Speaker 1: a lot of produce, despite having a lot of reasons 213 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:12,880 Speaker 1: to be there. So there's definitely something. I won't claim 214 00:11:12,920 --> 00:11:15,520 Speaker 1: to know too much about the law situation, and I'm 215 00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:17,599 Speaker 1: sure a lot of French people get angry whatever, but 216 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:21,880 Speaker 1: it is genuinely doing very badly in many different aspects. 217 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 1: Is that mismanagement by them? Is it because of the French? 218 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:26,719 Speaker 1: I couldn't tell you. I don't know enough about it, 219 00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:29,439 Speaker 1: but I certainly find it very weird that all of 220 00:11:29,520 --> 00:11:32,000 Speaker 1: these beautiful things that happened on the island and they're 221 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:37,200 Speaker 1: they're constantly in you know, the lower bracket of situations economically, culturally, 222 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:39,319 Speaker 1: they're getting kind of sidelined a bit. So I do 223 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:42,600 Speaker 1: I do understand, and certainly when the clashes or even 224 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:46,800 Speaker 1: protests happen in the seventies, the police, you know, French police. 225 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:49,480 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, but there's some of the worst fucking police ever, 226 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:53,160 Speaker 1: you know. And I've been in front of Turkish police, 227 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:55,959 Speaker 1: like French police are fucking up there. They're horrible, and 228 00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:59,120 Speaker 1: they beat the ship out of a lot of people 229 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:02,439 Speaker 1: in Cortica just for peacefully protesting, you know. So it 230 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 1: didn't come from nowhere, you know what I mean, there 231 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:07,559 Speaker 1: is there is more to it than just nationalism and independence. 232 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:09,520 Speaker 1: There's a lot more to it. They want to, they 233 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:11,160 Speaker 1: want to they want to deal with their own affairs, 234 00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:13,440 Speaker 1: a lot of them, you know, most people probably now 235 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:15,839 Speaker 1: want to do it democratically. But like I said, the 236 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:17,920 Speaker 1: youth were said, no funk, that we're not getting anywhere, 237 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:20,920 Speaker 1: and they've Actually it's actually worked because the day after 238 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:25,960 Speaker 1: the Rights that we filmed on March thirteen, the Interior 239 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:29,319 Speaker 1: Minister of France basically said, right, we're willing to discuss 240 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:32,120 Speaker 1: this with you. We will go as far as autonomy. 241 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:35,240 Speaker 1: That's literally a quote he said, which is quite significant. Yeah, 242 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:38,719 Speaker 1: after seven years of basically stalemate through the politicians, so 243 00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:41,000 Speaker 1: the youth in a way one of the very few 244 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:45,160 Speaker 1: examples of this, specifically in Europe. The youth, what they're 245 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:47,920 Speaker 1: doing kind of worked, you know what I mean, like 246 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:53,000 Speaker 1: direct action got got some goods, started the process of 247 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:56,400 Speaker 1: getting the goods hopefully. Absolutely, yeah, yeah, it has. And 248 00:12:56,679 --> 00:12:59,359 Speaker 1: the thing about the course scan youth is they're very intelligent, 249 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:04,599 Speaker 1: very they're very authentic in their political activism in the 250 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:07,280 Speaker 1: sense of it's just they're born into it. It's in them, 251 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:09,800 Speaker 1: you know, from the age of like twelve thirteen, they're 252 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:12,720 Speaker 1: understanding it. They're getting told about the legends of blah blah. 253 00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 1: You know, um, there's there's militant group and whatever whatever. 254 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:19,360 Speaker 1: So there's very much in them in that sense, kind 255 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:21,040 Speaker 1: of in a you know, like the Kurds are kind 256 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:22,760 Speaker 1: of you know, not on the same level, but that 257 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:25,760 Speaker 1: kind of vibe. So when they go to students, when 258 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:28,599 Speaker 1: they go to UNI and they become students, they're not 259 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:31,880 Speaker 1: really forming their political opinions. They already have them, they 260 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:35,720 Speaker 1: already got them, and then they they sort of higher, 261 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:38,640 Speaker 1: they sort of germinate together. So that's from what I 262 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:41,800 Speaker 1: understood anyway, that's from what I gathered. And you know, 263 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:44,400 Speaker 1: your average trendy young man and woman on the street. 264 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:47,839 Speaker 1: There is very political. It's kind of like Greece in 265 00:13:47,920 --> 00:13:51,000 Speaker 1: that sense, like it's cool to be political, but in 266 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:55,400 Speaker 1: the sense of not the kind not like um, you know, 267 00:13:55,559 --> 00:13:57,600 Speaker 1: not not something you brought into as a teenagers, something 268 00:13:57,640 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 1: that was already there and then which which there's nothing 269 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:01,679 Speaker 1: wrong with it. You know. Most people fall in their 270 00:14:01,679 --> 00:14:04,679 Speaker 1: political opinions in unis or whatever. But for them, it's 271 00:14:04,679 --> 00:14:06,800 Speaker 1: already in there, you see what I'm saying. So they 272 00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:10,480 Speaker 1: already have They're already united in that sense, you know. 273 00:14:10,679 --> 00:14:12,280 Speaker 1: So when they get to the UNI, they get there 274 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:15,280 Speaker 1: it's like, okay, well we all want independence or autonomy, 275 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:17,839 Speaker 1: but then the other things are lesser, so you know, 276 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:19,600 Speaker 1: for that in that really, in that sense, I think 277 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 1: that was quite interesting. And we saw eight thousand, nine 278 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 1: thousand people marching maybe and then when the clashes started, 279 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:30,080 Speaker 1: you know, it is well, but like normally it's like 280 00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:34,000 Speaker 1: what a hundred three people stay talking, like two thousand 281 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:39,120 Speaker 1: people help clashing, and men and women like young girls, 282 00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:42,200 Speaker 1: young men, like many many, you know, So it was 283 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:44,680 Speaker 1: really I was like, wow, okay, and one one thing 284 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:47,240 Speaker 1: that I've never I haven't seen for a very long time. 285 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:50,600 Speaker 1: I've very rarely seen it. Normally, when the clash happens, 286 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 1: everybody you know, your grandma's, you're working man, you know, 287 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:56,800 Speaker 1: the people that support what's going on but are not 288 00:14:56,960 --> 00:14:59,760 Speaker 1: able to clash or don't want to clash, they normally 289 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:04,040 Speaker 1: stay back. In the Corsican protests, everybody just stayed. Like 290 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:06,680 Speaker 1: we were getting tear gas next to like fifty lads 291 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:11,320 Speaker 1: with balaclabas on, next to like grandma or auntie, you know, 292 00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:14,000 Speaker 1: and we're like helping people into the side street to 293 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:16,240 Speaker 1: get away from tear gas. It's very weird. They just 294 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:19,720 Speaker 1: didn't leave. They just were there the whole time. It's 295 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:32,240 Speaker 1: weird when you're talking about like tactically, what is this, 296 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:35,640 Speaker 1: How are these kind of bombings being pulled? Arthurs? So 297 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:37,640 Speaker 1: you've got like this huge crowd and they're just kind 298 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:41,560 Speaker 1: of like marching from target to target. Um. So the 299 00:15:41,680 --> 00:15:44,360 Speaker 1: youth are not really I mean, they have some small 300 00:15:45,080 --> 00:15:46,960 Speaker 1: kind of I D s you know what I'm saying, 301 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:50,840 Speaker 1: that youth student youth protesters, but generally it's Molotov's bricks, 302 00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:57,240 Speaker 1: burning barricades. But they very clearly know the islands inside out. 303 00:15:57,320 --> 00:15:59,840 Speaker 1: They know their streets, you know, obviously because they lived 304 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:03,160 Speaker 1: there and most of the police, from what I understand, 305 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:06,520 Speaker 1: are actually French called in from the island, from the mainland. 306 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:09,840 Speaker 1: Sorry to the ILA. A lot of the CRS riot police, 307 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,240 Speaker 1: thousands of them were brought in there was that they 308 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:15,440 Speaker 1: were actually completely outnumbered. They had to retreat at one 309 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:18,440 Speaker 1: point in in the evening to go back to the 310 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:23,400 Speaker 1: prefecture kind of cultural French administrative building where the main 311 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 1: the main target of violence was. They had to retreat 312 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:28,320 Speaker 1: to get more ammunition because they just they just shot 313 00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:30,920 Speaker 1: so much tea gas um. They just couldn't, you know, 314 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:33,720 Speaker 1: they couldn't do anything. There were some teams like the youth. 315 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:37,840 Speaker 1: Some of them had green arm bands or green leg bands, 316 00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:40,360 Speaker 1: so they were very clearly like a different unit, and 317 00:16:40,440 --> 00:16:43,440 Speaker 1: they were very well organized. They didn't have walkie talkies, 318 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:46,960 Speaker 1: mind you normally that that shows a closer sign of organization, 319 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:48,760 Speaker 1: but some of them were like that. Some of them 320 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:50,680 Speaker 1: were just turned up to fight, and some of them 321 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:53,680 Speaker 1: were splitting off into different groups. You would see one 322 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:56,760 Speaker 1: come in, they'd fight, fight, fight, and then they'd leave, 323 00:16:56,880 --> 00:16:58,720 Speaker 1: and as they're leaving, another load would just come in 324 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:01,320 Speaker 1: in the line. It was was really quite interesting. You know, 325 00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:04,280 Speaker 1: they'd really thought about it. Um, it wasn't just a 326 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:07,359 Speaker 1: free for all, which it might look like. But you know, 327 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,320 Speaker 1: after a while of covering riots, there's certain things you 328 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:14,280 Speaker 1: notice where you're like, Okay, they're planning this, they're planning that, 329 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:16,480 Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying. So it's quite interesting in 330 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:19,440 Speaker 1: that sense. Um, but yeah, man, it's yeah, that was 331 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:22,720 Speaker 1: a that was a youth fighting. Um, it did get messy. 332 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:26,960 Speaker 1: I think forty four police were injured, thirteen protesters and 333 00:17:27,080 --> 00:17:29,600 Speaker 1: one pedestrian. That was the official figures. I saw at 334 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:33,240 Speaker 1: least three pedestrians injured, and I think probably more protesters 335 00:17:33,320 --> 00:17:35,719 Speaker 1: and definitely more cops, I would say. Yeah. I mean 336 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:38,239 Speaker 1: obviously it also depends on like what you're raiding as 337 00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:41,200 Speaker 1: an injury for that sort of thing. Yeah. Yeah, And 338 00:17:41,280 --> 00:17:44,280 Speaker 1: a lot of folks probably are avoiding the hospitals and 339 00:17:44,359 --> 00:17:46,879 Speaker 1: being dealt with at homes and whatnot because they were 340 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:50,880 Speaker 1: committing some crimes. Yeah, just like you know at home 341 00:17:51,080 --> 00:17:54,399 Speaker 1: with superglue and sort of stitches or whatever. Yeah. Um, 342 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:57,000 Speaker 1: do you have a sense of like how long? But 343 00:17:57,119 --> 00:17:59,359 Speaker 1: the kind of the back end of this was the 344 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:03,320 Speaker 1: preparation and process was for this. Yeah, so the classes 345 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:06,640 Speaker 1: have been ongoing before we got there for about a week. 346 00:18:07,119 --> 00:18:10,680 Speaker 1: So even Colinar was beaten into this coma. He was 347 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:13,800 Speaker 1: he was attacked in prison. There's some rumors that he 348 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:17,240 Speaker 1: said some kind of Islamophobic thing to the inmate, and 349 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:18,720 Speaker 1: don't know how true that is, but all we know 350 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:22,520 Speaker 1: is the guy was actually a you know, convicted jahadist. 351 00:18:22,600 --> 00:18:24,520 Speaker 1: It's not kind of his say that the guy the 352 00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:28,159 Speaker 1: inmate was a convicted jahadist. Because obviously even Colinar is 353 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:31,160 Speaker 1: in the type of prison where what the state says 354 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:33,159 Speaker 1: is terrorists are there, you know what I mean, anybody 355 00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:35,960 Speaker 1: terrorists is there, So it makes sense he's amongst these people. 356 00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:38,480 Speaker 1: And I think he was attacked in the gym when 357 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:41,320 Speaker 1: he was on his own and he was strangled, and 358 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 1: this this is where yeah, yeah, this is where there's 359 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:48,879 Speaker 1: a weird point of contention. He because of the special 360 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:53,560 Speaker 1: status he had as such a violent militant or whatever, 361 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:55,760 Speaker 1: he shouldn't have really been on his own like that. 362 00:18:56,440 --> 00:19:00,600 Speaker 1: And some people were speculating did something happen, But generally 363 00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:04,119 Speaker 1: most people we spoke to were like it was probably 364 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:07,119 Speaker 1: just negligence, you know, they weren't very conspiratory. There was 365 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:09,760 Speaker 1: someone like, oh, the French. The French plan is I 366 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:11,960 Speaker 1: doubt it. It doesn't make much sense to do this 367 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:14,040 Speaker 1: right now, Like you know, they would knew what would 368 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:16,880 Speaker 1: happen to be on calling our to the people. Sorry 369 00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:18,720 Speaker 1: if he's on Colling our wash because he's a big 370 00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:23,399 Speaker 1: you know, a big name there. There's also some you know, 371 00:19:23,560 --> 00:19:28,680 Speaker 1: maybe interesting arguments around the case, the way he was arrested. 372 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:30,720 Speaker 1: Apparently the gun doesn't match up. I don't know. I 373 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:32,680 Speaker 1: didn't really get into that. But either way, he's like 374 00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:34,520 Speaker 1: a you know, people there love him, you know what 375 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:36,959 Speaker 1: I'm saying. He's like a matter for them, even though 376 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:38,560 Speaker 1: you know he shot this guy in the back in 377 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:41,000 Speaker 1: in cold blood essentially, but for them that was a 378 00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:46,119 Speaker 1: political assassination whatever. So so for about a week, the 379 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:49,160 Speaker 1: youth were fighting, and I saw a video and anything 380 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:51,159 Speaker 1: that happens in course, I'm right, I'm looking at it, 381 00:19:51,840 --> 00:19:53,640 Speaker 1: and I was like, okay, this this is a little 382 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:56,880 Speaker 1: bit different. Okay, molotovs are out again. Hasn't haven't seen 383 00:19:56,920 --> 00:19:58,720 Speaker 1: that for a while. And then the next day and 384 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:00,640 Speaker 1: then the next day, and then it's had one night 385 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:04,719 Speaker 1: to like five different cities or like sorry, three different cities, 386 00:20:04,760 --> 00:20:07,760 Speaker 1: like big, big places and then they burned like a 387 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:10,760 Speaker 1: very specific monument, so that was like, oh, it's on. 388 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:15,960 Speaker 1: So for at least a week they were they were 389 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:18,520 Speaker 1: planning something, you know, and there was enough kind of 390 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:23,240 Speaker 1: um momentum there, I think for them to organize. Certainly, 391 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:25,800 Speaker 1: we know that there was people from a jat CEO 392 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:28,879 Speaker 1: of the capital city in Bastia where we filmed it, 393 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:31,520 Speaker 1: Like a lot of people drove in. They came, you know, 394 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:35,040 Speaker 1: specifically for this clash, so that was quite interesting. I 395 00:20:35,119 --> 00:20:37,440 Speaker 1: think the youth movement have a very strong network there, 396 00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:40,480 Speaker 1: and there's also quite a big football ultra scene there. 397 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:44,400 Speaker 1: So the day before the clashes, Bastia and the JATSO 398 00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:48,560 Speaker 1: had a derby, So obviously I imagine a lot of 399 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:50,359 Speaker 1: the ultras, or at least I know a lot of 400 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:54,399 Speaker 1: the ultras were also part of the independence groupings and 401 00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:56,560 Speaker 1: part of the clashes, so I imagine that a lot 402 00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:59,560 Speaker 1: of the football ultras kind of organized you know, you know, 403 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:02,080 Speaker 1: the the match the day before or at least a 404 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:04,639 Speaker 1: week before. So I think there was quite a lot 405 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:16,560 Speaker 1: of organization there. You know, what, do you feel like 406 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:18,320 Speaker 1: it's next? Is this the case? Do you get the 407 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:22,280 Speaker 1: sense that because the government has announced their willingness to 408 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:25,840 Speaker 1: sit down and talk that maybe folks are gonna wait 409 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:27,880 Speaker 1: to follow up this or do you get the sense 410 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:31,640 Speaker 1: that they're going to kind of keep the pressure on. Well, 411 00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:36,880 Speaker 1: the thing is, there was one option before Evan Colonard died, 412 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:40,040 Speaker 1: and now there's a new option that he's died. You 413 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:44,119 Speaker 1: see what I'm saying. Before, I think what you're saying 414 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:47,280 Speaker 1: would have would have happened. I mean, I don't know, 415 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:49,200 Speaker 1: but I think that youth would have They would have 416 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:52,520 Speaker 1: held off the fact that the Interior Minister of France, 417 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:56,680 Speaker 1: who answers directly to mcron within one day or less 418 00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:59,680 Speaker 1: than one day, said we're willing to go as far 419 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:04,160 Speaker 1: out autonomy in these discussions. Stop being violent. I think 420 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:07,200 Speaker 1: the youth was smart enough to realize, all right, let's stop, 421 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:09,280 Speaker 1: let's see what he's got to say. I'm sure if 422 00:22:09,359 --> 00:22:11,720 Speaker 1: things faltered, if things didn't move quick enough, they would 423 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:15,399 Speaker 1: have very quickly stepped up the stepped up the violence again. However, 424 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:19,800 Speaker 1: now that even Colin has died, I don't think that 425 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:23,040 Speaker 1: they're just gonna wait. Now. From what I understand from 426 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:26,320 Speaker 1: speaking to contacts and friends in Corsica, there's a period 427 00:22:26,359 --> 00:22:29,760 Speaker 1: of mourning right now. You know his funeral. He died 428 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:32,680 Speaker 1: in a prison in Marseille. He wasn't even transferred to 429 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:35,360 Speaker 1: to Corsica to die, So for a lot of them, 430 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:40,080 Speaker 1: that's incredibly offensive. That's the kind of spark that started 431 00:22:40,119 --> 00:22:43,160 Speaker 1: these clashes. It's all about independence and autonomy on one level, 432 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:45,399 Speaker 1: but the thing that drove this and sparked it was 433 00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:48,119 Speaker 1: even Colonize attack, and and the fact that there's a 434 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:51,560 Speaker 1: lot of course com prison prisoners, which are political prisoners, 435 00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:54,520 Speaker 1: are in prison in Frances at the Corsica anyway. So 436 00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:58,320 Speaker 1: now that he has died, I really think that there 437 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:00,920 Speaker 1: will be a moment of calm due to the funeral 438 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:04,159 Speaker 1: and respect for Evan colin Arum whatever, and then I 439 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:07,560 Speaker 1: think maybe a week after this week, I think it's 440 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:11,040 Speaker 1: almost inevitable that we will see some form of violence again. 441 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:14,320 Speaker 1: I've spoken to some people that are maybe going a 442 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:16,639 Speaker 1: bit far, maybe being a bit dramatic, I don't know, 443 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:18,679 Speaker 1: but they speculate that there will be a little bit 444 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:21,760 Speaker 1: more than just clashes. One one person I know said, 445 00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:23,920 Speaker 1: I think they're going to blow something up again. Do 446 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:26,919 Speaker 1: I think that, probably not, But certainly when we were 447 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:31,399 Speaker 1: in the streets, they were using. There's there's photos of 448 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:34,000 Speaker 1: it as well. They were using very crude but very small, 449 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:38,080 Speaker 1: improvised explosive devices. Now, when a group even starts to 450 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:40,639 Speaker 1: do that, you know, okay, it's a very small device. 451 00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:43,080 Speaker 1: It was in a kind of like a basically a 452 00:23:43,119 --> 00:23:45,440 Speaker 1: tennis ball type thing with it with whatever in it. 453 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:48,919 Speaker 1: But it was fucking loud. It wouldn't really do much 454 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:50,879 Speaker 1: unless it probably blow up right next to your foot. 455 00:23:51,359 --> 00:23:54,080 Speaker 1: But when they're even considering that, in my experience, that 456 00:23:54,400 --> 00:23:56,520 Speaker 1: tells you that people are there's an element that are 457 00:23:56,600 --> 00:24:00,000 Speaker 1: ready to go further up the ladder to the next level. 458 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:03,359 Speaker 1: All does that mean they're gonna blow somewhere up? I 459 00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:05,760 Speaker 1: don't know. I don't see it personally. You know, these 460 00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:08,560 Speaker 1: these young people are very clever. I think that would 461 00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:12,120 Speaker 1: be in an insane decision because it would France would 462 00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:14,320 Speaker 1: have no option but to basically flood the island with 463 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:17,359 Speaker 1: a lot more police and maybe even military type police. 464 00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:20,760 Speaker 1: I don't know, maybe not, but but yeah, anyway, we'll 465 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:23,359 Speaker 1: see what happens. But again, my point is not not 466 00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:25,080 Speaker 1: that I think this is gonna happen, But there's that 467 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:27,720 Speaker 1: talk which we haven't seen that kind of talk in 468 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:29,800 Speaker 1: Corsica for quite a while, you know what I mean, 469 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:33,280 Speaker 1: And there's actually people now genuinely worried like Okay, where's 470 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:35,920 Speaker 1: this going to go? Which can never be a good thing. 471 00:24:36,359 --> 00:24:39,320 Speaker 1: I guess the French state really has to be careful here, 472 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:44,080 Speaker 1: and I think the fact they've now said we're gonna 473 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:47,320 Speaker 1: go as far as autonomy, maybe they at the very 474 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:50,719 Speaker 1: least have to be shown to be doing that very quickly, 475 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:54,200 Speaker 1: I think, you know. Otherwise, for a lot of people 476 00:24:54,240 --> 00:24:58,680 Speaker 1: in Corsica, it's like even Colin Colinar died in Vain, 477 00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:01,080 Speaker 1: I guess, and it's not just the youth, it's everybody, 478 00:25:01,119 --> 00:25:04,320 Speaker 1: even people that perhaps I really don't like that the 479 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:07,920 Speaker 1: youth were fighting, really don't support that level of violence. 480 00:25:08,480 --> 00:25:11,400 Speaker 1: They still support Evan Coliner and a very sad he's dead, 481 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:13,240 Speaker 1: you see what I'm saying, and the way he died, 482 00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:17,320 Speaker 1: And even even past DNFC, the football team and one 483 00:25:17,359 --> 00:25:19,639 Speaker 1: of the main football teams in Courtsco, they said, are 484 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:22,000 Speaker 1: you know, we're very sad that he's dead. You know, 485 00:25:22,359 --> 00:25:24,399 Speaker 1: hero has died that kind of thing, so he's a 486 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 1: very He's seen as a Martineau definitely, Yeah, I mean 487 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:34,440 Speaker 1: that's a predictable outcome from killing the guys in prison. Um, right, right, right, right, 488 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:36,720 Speaker 1: So we're kind of in this like waiting to see 489 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:39,159 Speaker 1: what the next step is. Then I guess, like the 490 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:43,400 Speaker 1: it's it's kind of this weird sort of like political 491 00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:47,880 Speaker 1: liminal space. I guess where the next steps are. There's 492 00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:53,680 Speaker 1: a number of things that could happen. Um, yeah, definitely, 493 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:59,040 Speaker 1: it's this very everything's in transition. It's it's very it's 494 00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:04,080 Speaker 1: it's either car before the storm or it's calm that 495 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:09,360 Speaker 1: turns into something positive. But I I just don't see, 496 00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:13,480 Speaker 1: you know, after almost two weeks of extremely violent clashes, 497 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:17,199 Speaker 1: very well organized, after seeing them on the ground as well, 498 00:26:17,320 --> 00:26:20,760 Speaker 1: these are brave lads, these and women as well. These 499 00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:24,400 Speaker 1: are not your kind of average weekend warriors. They're very, 500 00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:27,960 Speaker 1: very up for it. Um. You know how people clash 501 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,840 Speaker 1: in Paris, Like French people, they're very up as soon 502 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:34,720 Speaker 1: as find they'll fight, you know. Um, it's like that 503 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:37,640 Speaker 1: times ten for from what I experienced, because it's got 504 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:43,520 Speaker 1: the the kind of incubated nationalist identity separate from France, 505 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:46,800 Speaker 1: but whilst also having kind of fiery French culture and 506 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:52,520 Speaker 1: fiery Italian culture influences and fiery Corsican culture. Um, not 507 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:54,680 Speaker 1: to say that they're not very nice people. Everyone was 508 00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:58,640 Speaker 1: absolutely lovely, very very friendly, but you can tell they're 509 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:01,000 Speaker 1: you know, there are fiery people. They're active, they're about it, 510 00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:03,760 Speaker 1: they mean what they say. So I don't think that 511 00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:07,200 Speaker 1: the youth will just go quietly from this essentially a 512 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:11,000 Speaker 1: political prisoner m A. Martin now, and then for them 513 00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:14,400 Speaker 1: to just go, Okay, we'll just relax now. I don't 514 00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:16,359 Speaker 1: see it. You go, you're talking from like you know, 515 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:20,359 Speaker 1: probably in the full week of clashes, maybe four or 516 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:25,600 Speaker 1: five thousand people together, throwing rocks, burning barricades, throwing small 517 00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:28,480 Speaker 1: improvised devices at cops. So then just to go to 518 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:32,320 Speaker 1: nothing after even Colinard dies, I would be very very surprised. 519 00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:34,560 Speaker 1: I think the only way that that would happen would 520 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:37,240 Speaker 1: be for France to go, okay, here's your autonomy, and 521 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:40,399 Speaker 1: then that energy could be turned into a celebration what 522 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:42,440 Speaker 1: I'm saying that should or shouldn't happen. I just think 523 00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:45,639 Speaker 1: theoretically that's the only way that it could avoid violence, 524 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:47,800 Speaker 1: because the energy is there now, you see what I'm saying, 525 00:27:48,359 --> 00:27:50,760 Speaker 1: not on like an essteric level, it's just the level 526 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:52,840 Speaker 1: of like they're revved up, they're ready, you know, in 527 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:55,760 Speaker 1: the attitude, the kind of it's in the air. It's 528 00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:57,960 Speaker 1: in the air right now. So you published just a 529 00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:01,000 Speaker 1: couple of days ago, your a little documentary like short 530 00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:05,320 Speaker 1: documentary from Popular front which has footage a little dispatch 531 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:08,359 Speaker 1: which has footage from this um, which people should definitely 532 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:10,399 Speaker 1: check out, especially if they'd like to see some of 533 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:13,960 Speaker 1: the tactics that we've talked about UM on this this 534 00:28:14,119 --> 00:28:16,760 Speaker 1: episode so far. Is there anywhere else you might recommend 535 00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:20,680 Speaker 1: they go for further reading on this subject UM, not 536 00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:24,080 Speaker 1: not to be UM, oh you're only popular Front UM, 537 00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:26,440 Speaker 1: but we we have. It's just something that I've just 538 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:30,520 Speaker 1: been specifically fascinating and obsessed with for a long time. 539 00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:33,400 Speaker 1: So when the time came, I was very well prepared. 540 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:36,320 Speaker 1: Everyone has said like, oh, you know, this is this 541 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:39,600 Speaker 1: is crazy, like you know, how did you understand all 542 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:41,800 Speaker 1: of this so quickly, because I've been reading about it 543 00:28:42,280 --> 00:28:43,680 Speaker 1: and and the problem with a lot of the French 544 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:47,240 Speaker 1: reporting is, you know, it's it's naturally very fresh, skewed, 545 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:50,440 Speaker 1: it's a little bit sneary, like all the island people 546 00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:52,960 Speaker 1: are kicking off again, Whereas it's like no come on 547 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:56,280 Speaker 1: like this. It's an incredible beautiful place. Of course they 548 00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:58,760 Speaker 1: want to preserve it. Of course they want to control 549 00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:01,160 Speaker 1: it in whatever way they want too. So again it's 550 00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:04,040 Speaker 1: very difficult, but I will say that there are some 551 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:09,240 Speaker 1: really good reporters um there. There's a a friend of 552 00:29:09,320 --> 00:29:13,080 Speaker 1: mine from Corsica, Lionel Doomus. He runs like a thing 553 00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:16,680 Speaker 1: called um Corsican passport or were used to, which was 554 00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:19,840 Speaker 1: kind of kind of humorous but at the same time 555 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:22,960 Speaker 1: in our news about kind of course and related um 556 00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:27,880 Speaker 1: patriotic stuff. And then who we worked with, Jean Colinar. 557 00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:31,800 Speaker 1: He's not related to m Yvonne, like it's it's quite 558 00:29:31,840 --> 00:29:34,600 Speaker 1: a you know, common common last yeah exactly, yeah, so 559 00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:37,000 Speaker 1: us it sounds quite you know, right, you must be related, 560 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:39,360 Speaker 1: but over there it's like not smith, but you know 561 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:43,560 Speaker 1: it's quite common yea, um, so yeah. Jean Colinary's great. 562 00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:48,640 Speaker 1: And there's also the local papers in Corsica course, Mattin. 563 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:51,760 Speaker 1: They're really good. You might have to translate stuff, but 564 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:53,320 Speaker 1: they're very on the ball, you know what I mean 565 00:29:53,360 --> 00:29:55,920 Speaker 1: that they're focused on everything. So if people are interested 566 00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:57,880 Speaker 1: in it, honestly, I would say, like seek out local 567 00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:00,600 Speaker 1: French reporters. From what I gather it as well, there's 568 00:30:00,680 --> 00:30:05,360 Speaker 1: there's a quiet, but really thriving kind of youth media. 569 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:08,800 Speaker 1: I wouldn't say it's a it's a movement, but there's 570 00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:10,959 Speaker 1: something growing there, you know. I spoke before I went out. 571 00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:13,960 Speaker 1: I spoke to quite a few reporters, really nice people, 572 00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:18,640 Speaker 1: really enthusiastic, really you know, love loving their island, but 573 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:20,600 Speaker 1: not full of hatred or anything like that. That that's 574 00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:22,840 Speaker 1: something that I've seen a lot of French people say, oh, 575 00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:27,000 Speaker 1: Corsicans are really full of hatred, their racist, They're blah blah. 576 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:30,480 Speaker 1: And it's like, I didn't experience that. And at the 577 00:30:30,560 --> 00:30:37,200 Speaker 1: same time, it's like, have you been to Paris, Yeah 578 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:40,760 Speaker 1: it's yeah, you know, like it's like the end of 579 00:30:40,760 --> 00:30:42,320 Speaker 1: the day. I think the whole region probably has a 580 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:44,440 Speaker 1: has an issue with that, but certainly the youth are 581 00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:48,160 Speaker 1: very open minded, very nice um And like I said, 582 00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:50,400 Speaker 1: this isn't just me basing it off of one trip. 583 00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:53,480 Speaker 1: I've been fascinated with this place for about six to 584 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:57,760 Speaker 1: eight years and I I have not experienced anything like that. 585 00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:00,920 Speaker 1: Sure you'll hear the old comment like you very yeah 586 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:07,000 Speaker 1: it's Europe, Yeah exactly, exactly Europe, not to minimize it, 587 00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:13,160 Speaker 1: but like it just Corsica exactly whatever. Generally, you know, 588 00:31:13,360 --> 00:31:15,120 Speaker 1: for a small island, it could be way worse. And 589 00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:16,920 Speaker 1: and so I had a lot of French people, like 590 00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:19,200 Speaker 1: they're really nasty, they're really violent, and it's like they're 591 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:22,600 Speaker 1: not actually like they're very angry, but they don't hate. 592 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:26,120 Speaker 1: They don't hate the French in that sense of like, 593 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:29,640 Speaker 1: oh you're a French person, kill you. It's the same 594 00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:31,680 Speaker 1: thing as we hate the state, you know. Like and 595 00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:33,640 Speaker 1: at the same time they have a very quite a 596 00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:37,800 Speaker 1: few people brought up Ireland and the Basque situation and Sardinia, 597 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:41,880 Speaker 1: and so they have this they have an internationalist mentality 598 00:31:41,960 --> 00:31:44,440 Speaker 1: as well. Actually, and in fact, years ago there used 599 00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:47,960 Speaker 1: to be a youth conference in Corsica hosted there. I 600 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:50,520 Speaker 1: don't think it goes on anymore, but it was hosted 601 00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:53,479 Speaker 1: in Corsica by what was a very well organized radical 602 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:58,160 Speaker 1: socialist youth movement in Corsica, where people from northern Ireland, 603 00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:03,960 Speaker 1: people from the Basque country, people from um, uh, what's 604 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:10,400 Speaker 1: the one in Barcelona, Oh, um, Calonia, Catalonia. Yeah, people 605 00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:12,240 Speaker 1: from there would come, you know, all people from different 606 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 1: breakaway regions or whatever, and they would all come and 607 00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:17,160 Speaker 1: they would all meet in Coursco and they would talk 608 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:20,240 Speaker 1: about tactics and politics and whatever. So it's a very 609 00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:24,680 Speaker 1: very interesting culture place, amazing history. Fucking the Poland is 610 00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:28,280 Speaker 1: from Napoleon is from there. You know that's what you want. Um. 611 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:31,480 Speaker 1: So yeah, it's a really cool place. And you know, 612 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:34,080 Speaker 1: we only documented one side of it, a very radical 613 00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:36,440 Speaker 1: side of it, because that's what was happening that weekend 614 00:32:36,760 --> 00:32:39,200 Speaker 1: to dispatch. But there are a lot of moderates as well. 615 00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:41,680 Speaker 1: There were a lot of like political, very smart political 616 00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:44,880 Speaker 1: moderate moderates that are like, look, we don't want violence, 617 00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:47,640 Speaker 1: but we do want autonomy, we want something. And they, 618 00:32:47,800 --> 00:32:49,680 Speaker 1: you know, they said, oh, you only showed the militant 619 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:51,680 Speaker 1: side of It's like, well, you weren't on the street 620 00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:54,920 Speaker 1: that day, you know, these kids were, so obviously that's 621 00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:57,800 Speaker 1: how it works. But yeah, I would to actually a 622 00:32:57,880 --> 00:32:59,840 Speaker 1: question again. Sorry, I would say just if you're interested 623 00:32:59,880 --> 00:33:04,400 Speaker 1: in the region, UM, check it out. And there's there's 624 00:33:04,440 --> 00:33:06,880 Speaker 1: a film if you can find it in English subtitles, 625 00:33:06,920 --> 00:33:10,160 Speaker 1: send it to me. But there's a fictionalized film about 626 00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:14,840 Speaker 1: the effllency. I think it's called a Life of Violence. Um, 627 00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:18,400 Speaker 1: that's actually like quite good. It's a bit romantic size, 628 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:21,080 Speaker 1: but it's quite good in terms of explaining this situation 629 00:33:21,160 --> 00:33:23,440 Speaker 1: there if you speak French. Checked that out and just 630 00:33:23,560 --> 00:33:25,560 Speaker 1: check out like course Martin and all these these other 631 00:33:25,640 --> 00:33:28,320 Speaker 1: kind of local reporters there. People are like, oh, it's 632 00:33:28,320 --> 00:33:30,040 Speaker 1: too hard to find them. It does feel like that, 633 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:33,920 Speaker 1: but once you find them, you find them all. So yeah, awesome. Well, 634 00:33:34,120 --> 00:33:37,000 Speaker 1: Jake Canrahan, thank you so much. Check out the new 635 00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:42,920 Speaker 1: Popular Front dispatch on Corsica. Um by the way to Yeah, 636 00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:45,400 Speaker 1: so check out all the Popular Front stuff on YouTube. 637 00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:48,200 Speaker 1: You've got a great documentary out also about the territorial 638 00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:51,560 Speaker 1: defense militias in Ukraine that you're filmed right before ship went. 639 00:33:51,760 --> 00:33:55,240 Speaker 1: Yeah you know where it is. Yeah, yeah, we're standing 640 00:33:55,480 --> 00:33:59,400 Speaker 1: it because we're a bit like how do we how 641 00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:01,520 Speaker 1: do we make this most relevant? But it's it's coming, 642 00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:05,600 Speaker 1: that's it will be quite excited. Yeah, the perspective beforehand. Yeah, 643 00:34:05,680 --> 00:34:08,440 Speaker 1: the ship you're posting on Twitter was really interesting. Um 644 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:11,399 Speaker 1: so yeah, check that out when it's out. Check out 645 00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:14,879 Speaker 1: all the Popular fronts other stuff. Um and yeah, thank 646 00:34:14,920 --> 00:34:17,880 Speaker 1: you Jake. Let's uh well we'll have you back on 647 00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:24,319 Speaker 1: soon all right, man. Thank you very much. It Could 648 00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:26,680 Speaker 1: Happen here as a production of cool Zone Media. For 649 00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:29,280 Speaker 1: more podcast on the cool Zone Media, visit our website 650 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:31,440 Speaker 1: cool zone media dot com, or check us out on 651 00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:34,000 Speaker 1: the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 652 00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:36,839 Speaker 1: listen to podcasts. You can find sources for It could 653 00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:39,799 Speaker 1: Happen Here, updated monthly at cool zone Media dot com 654 00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:41,800 Speaker 1: slash sources. Thanks for listening.