PRO-SEPARATIST CORSICAN LAWYER SAYS MOVEMENT IS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 003876

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/WE, S/CT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/07/2016
TAGS: PGOV FR PTER
SUBJECT: PRO-SEPARATIST CORSICAN LAWYER SAYS MOVEMENT IS
SPLINTERED, DYING

Classified By: ACTING POLITICAL COUNSELOR BRUCE TURNER, FOR REASONS 1.4
B/D


1. (C) Summary: Prominent Corsican lawyer Pascal Garbarini,
who represents the majority of Corsicans imprisoned on
terrorism-related charges, told POLOFF that the long-running
separatist movement is ideologically impoverished, splintered
into competing factions, evolving towards common criminality
(but not, he claimed, towards xenophobia),and largely spent
as a motivating force for Corsicans. Although this harsh
view could be due to the disillusionment of a former true
believer, it is nonetheless striking given Corsica's outsize
reputation among continental French, many of whom refuse to
visit this island of approximately 250,000 inhabitants
because they fear they will be targeted. Clearly, though,
Corsican separatism does not occupy the attention of French
policymakers the way it did in the 1980s and 1990s. End
summary.


2. (C) POLOFF met with Garbarini in Corsica on June 1, near
Ajaccio, the largest city. Garbarini said he became involved
in the Corsican separatist movement in the 1990s as a
"lawyer-sympathizer" and is currently the defense lawyer for
over 70 Corsicans jailed for terrorism-related crimes. His
most infamous client is Yvan Colonna, who in 1998
assassinated Claude Erignac, the prefect of Corsica, and
evaded captivity for nearly five years before being caught in

2003. Garbarini said he is no longer a sympathizer to the
cause of Corsican separatism, and does nothing more than
fulfill his responsibilities as a defense lawyer. He
expressed great frustration at the actions of the
separatists, and said they had devolved into banditry and
common criminality.


3. (C) Garbarini said the separatist movement rose from the
anti-colonial ferment of the 1950s and 60s. France
considered Corsica to be a colony like Tunisia and Algeria,
said Garbarini. As an example, he said that Corsicans fought
in World War I as part of the Overseas (Colony) Forces. A
common belief that the French government ignored Corsica
because it was an "insignificant" colony led to the first
stirrings of the separatist movement in the 1970s, said
Garbarini. At that time, tankers regularly fouled the
beaches and shoreline of Corsica, and the national government
was seen by many Corsicans as unwilling to protect their
natural resources. (Note: Garbarini refers to the founding
of the FLNC separatist movement, started in 1976 in response
to the dumping of toxic waste by an Italian multinational
near the town of Bastia. End note.) Thirty years later, the
FLNC has shattered into many splinter groups, and Garbarini
said that the major demands of Corsican separatists - respect
and recognition - have been granted. He pointed to the
significant level of self-government, the mandatory teaching
of the Corsican language in schools, and the strict
environmental protections that keep Corsica clean.


4. (C) If separatist demands have largely been met, POLOFF
asked why low-level bombings targeting vacation homes and
government offices continue to plague the island. Garbarini
offered three explanations: 1) the FLNC splinter groups,
often just a handful of uneducated young men, want to show
off; 2) wealthy owners of vacation homes sometimes avoid
environmental regulations by paying off local mayors, and the
bombers are warning them not to do so; and, 3) local
conflicts between families are being played out and made to
seem as if they are separatist-related. Garbarini noted that
many of those active in separatist movements depend heavily
on tourism to the island. When asked about the spate of
racially-tinged attacks in 2004 and 2005, Garbarini said he
suspected they were related to local business disputes. He
said Corsicans were not racist, and the island contains
well-regarded Portuguese and North African communities.
Still, he said Corsicans were "jealous people" and might not
look kindly upon perceived successes within the immigrant
community.


5. (C) Garbarini bemoaned the fact that the movement has lost
its bearings. He expressed great admiration for Catalans in
Spain, who he said had more autonomy and "self-respect" than
Corsicans. Current separatists are involved more in criminal
acts than ideology, he said. The overwhelming majority of
Corsicans do not want any more autonomy from the "continent,"
said an annoyed Garbarini, despite the fact that France is
the most centralized state in Europe. He concluded that the
Corsican separatism was ideologically spent, and no longer
enjoyed any significant support.


6. (C) Comment: Although Garbarini engaged in a hefty level
of spin (he said the Corsican separatists he represented were
guilty only of "armed propaganda," not terrorism),his basic

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message that Corsican separatism has waned since the 1980s
and 90s is corroborated by terrorism investigating judges in
Paris. Still, low-level bombings continue on a regular
basis. Even though injuries due to these attacks are
extremely rare, they nonetheless cement the impression among
"continental" French that Corsica is an island rife with
separatist tension. Anecdotal evidence - off-hand comments
in the press, and among contacts - reveal that many French
believe they will be targeted if they visit Corsica. When
asked where he saw Corsica in 20 or 30 years, Garbarini
shrugged his shoulders and said, "the same." He said the
periodic bombings were now part of the culture, a coming of
age of sorts for disaffected youth. "Corsica is special," he
concluded. In a culture that fervently believes in its
exceptionalism, Corsica has carved out a niche of its own.
End comment.
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm

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