The FLNC-UC, a faction of the Corsican National Liberation Front, has released a video warning foreign buyers and tourists they "should not consider themselves safe" if they ignore its message. The group, known for arson, extortion, and coordinated bombings, is primarily targeting mainland French people buying holiday homes, but the warning has sparked alarm among UK holidaymakers.
Investigation and video
French authorities are treating the message as terrorism. The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) has opened a formal investigation into criminal conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism. The video shows around 15 masked, hooded militants in black standing in front of an FLNC sign, posing with military-grade weapons including submachine guns and sniper rifles.
History and tactics
The FLNC was founded in 1976 to fight for Corsica's independence from France. It has splintered into factions, with the UC (Union of Combatants) now the largest active strand. Its tactics include "blue nights"—coordinated waves of bombings across the island in a single night. The last major "blue night" was in October 2023, when 45 holiday homes and an empty tax office were hit. No one was injured, as the group historically targets empty buildings and luxury properties, not ordinary tourists.
The group also uses an extortion model dubbed "revolutionary taxes," demanding cash from local businesses and wealthy homeowners under threat of bombings. In the late 1990s, rival nationalist factions were involved in a bloody internal feud, blurring lines between political separatism and organised crime.
Current grievances
The FLNC-UC is angry over French plans to grant Corsica greater autonomy, which it rejects as a "farce." It claims around 5,000 outsiders move to Corsica every year, with wealthy incomers from mainland France buying luxury villas and driving property prices up. The group describes this as "rampant settlement-driven colonisation," branding buyers "invaders."
