Masked separatists from Corsica have warned tourists not to move to the island or buy second homes there, telling them that they cannot consider themselves safe on “national territory.”

Armed, masked members of the Corsican National Liberation Front – Union of Combatants (FLNC-UC) appeared in a video published on Thursday, holding submachine guns and sniper rifles, according to The Telegraph.

“Until our national rights are recognized and respected, we have only one message for them: stay in your homes,” the group’s leader said in a distorted voice, warning those who ignore the message not to consider themselves safe.

The threats come as separatists have intensified their opposition to a proposed bill on Corsican autonomy, which they claim does not recognize the existence of the Corsican people. The bill was approved by Parliament in June and will be examined by the Senate this autumn.

“The Corsican people will never become a simple administrative community,” the leader said, pledging to oppose any attempt to deny their national identity.

The group organized a secret press conference attended by the local media outlet Corse Matin, the only media organization invited to be present.

As part of their message, they criticized the arrival of 5,000 outsiders, “the overwhelming majority of whom are [French],” who are moving to the island either to work or to purchase second homes.

According to the group, this constitutes “uncontrolled colonialism through the establishment of settlements,” comparable to “a weapon of mass destruction that colonialism has always used against the peoples it seeks to subjugate or even eliminate.”

Between 2015 and 2025, the island’s population increased by 32,900 residents, representing an average annual growth rate of 1%, according to France’s national statistics agency, INSEE.

Corsica and the Island of Billionaires

A popular summer tourist destination, the island attracts adventure lovers thanks to the GR20 hiking trail that crosses it, as well as the wealthy and famous due to its natural beauty.

Cavallo is known as the “island of billionaires,” an exclusive area filled with luxury villas, many of which belong to wealthy Italians.

After half a century, Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Prince of Venice, is reportedly said to have put the Italian royal family’s summer villa in Cavallo up for sale this year for €18 million. Among past and present owners are also Princess Caroline of Monaco and Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, while famous visitors to the island have included Mick Jagger, Catherine Deneuve, and Bill Gates.

When the Corsica bill was approved by Parliament in June, Françoise Gatel, Minister for Decentralization, described the vote as “an important step for Corsica and for our democracy.”

However, the separatist group argues that the proposal does not go far enough to guarantee Corsican independence from France. Under the law, Corsica would receive a special autonomous status but would remain under French administration.

The Separatists

Corsican separatists have been active since the 1970s. In 2022, the killing of Yvan Colonna, a Corsican nationalist and leading figure in the movement, led to protests and unrest across the island, as well as renewed discussions with the French government regarding Corsican autonomy.

Colonna was serving a life sentence for the 1998 murder of a French official and was killed by a fellow inmate, an Islamist extremist, who claimed that Colonna had made blasphemous statements.

France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office has opened a preliminary investigation into “criminal conspiracy to prepare terrorist acts” as well as the acquisition, possession, and transfer of weapons, ammunition, or weapons components in connection with a terrorist organization.