Amnesty International calls for swift legal action against authors of racist violence in Corsica

Amnesty International has called the French authorities to take swift legal action against perpetrators of new wave of racist violence against North Africans in the French region of Corsica.

"The French authorities must make it their priority to bring the perpetrators of racist attacks promptly to justice" says the London-based organization which voices concern over the rights of immigrants and those of immigrant origin in Corsica after a disturbing series of acts of racist violence.

On the night of 27 November 2004, the house of a Moroccan imam at Sartene, which includes a prayer room, was attacked by a group of armed men who opened fire on the door of the house, after knocking on it. Imam Mohammed al-Akrach came to the door and upon hearing racist insults did not open it. The men then reportedly fired five to six shots into the door. The imam was not injured.

The attack, which is under judicial investigation, follows an attack a year ago on the same house when the entrance was splashed with inflammable liquid and set on fire. Last week there was a racist attack on a family of Tunisian origin living in Calvi, when shots were fired and Molotov cocktails thrown at the house where a woman and four children were living. Racist graffiti were reportedly left at the scene.

"The identity of the perpetrators of the most recent attack is not yet known. However, Corsican nationalists or autonomists, some of whom have claimed responsibility for previous racist attacks, have a particular responsibility to be firm and consistent in their condemnation of such attacks, irrespective of the identity or aims of the perpetrators," Amnesty International said.

In September 2004, Amnesty International expressed its concern that human rights groups and defenders were being subjected to threats and intimidation after reports of numerous acts of violent racial hatred, directed in particular at the North African community.

This new wave of attacks is the last of several to have been reported in the island's recent history. The acts of violence include bomb attacks on houses, offices and vehicles. According to reports, some members of the Moroccan community have felt under such threat that they have left, while others are planning to leave the island.