The mourners had gathered in the small village of Vero, a half-hour drive from Ajaccio, the capital of the picture-postcard Mediterranean island of Corsica. In their midst was former nationalist leader Alain Orsoni, 71, who had flown in from exile in Nicaragua to bury his mother. Suddenly, with the ceremony under way, a single shot was fired from nearby scrubland, killing Orsoni instantly.
Thirty-five people have been fatally shot on this island of 350,000 people in the past three years alone, giving it one of France's highest murder rates. Corsicans have become wearily familiar with vendettas and tit-for-tat underworld shootings, but even here, the way Orsoni was killed has stunned islanders.
Yesterday, Alain Orsoni was cremated after a funeral service in Ajaccio. There was a large police presence.
Close friend Jo Peraldi finds it hard to believe that a day of high emotion surrounding the funeral of Orsoni's mother could have been defiled in such a way. A cemetery is sacred in Corsica, just like a church. Never have I witnessed seeing someone murdered while accompanying their mother to their final resting place, he told Corsican radio.
Over the years, victims of Corsica's violence have included farmers, elected officials, a lawyer, local business owners and even the president of the chamber of commerce. But for a cousin of the victim, Christian Leca, Orsoni's killing was a tipping point in the horror. People don't kill in cemeteries, it's intolerable, he told Le Monde newspaper. In recent times, the nature of the violence has changed as armed groups evolved from seeking autonomy to engaging in organized crime. This incident has further intensified concerns over mafia influence in Corsican society, raising fears of escalating violence in the already affected community.
Thirty-five people have been fatally shot on this island of 350,000 people in the past three years alone, giving it one of France's highest murder rates. Corsicans have become wearily familiar with vendettas and tit-for-tat underworld shootings, but even here, the way Orsoni was killed has stunned islanders.
Yesterday, Alain Orsoni was cremated after a funeral service in Ajaccio. There was a large police presence.
Close friend Jo Peraldi finds it hard to believe that a day of high emotion surrounding the funeral of Orsoni's mother could have been defiled in such a way. A cemetery is sacred in Corsica, just like a church. Never have I witnessed seeing someone murdered while accompanying their mother to their final resting place, he told Corsican radio.
Over the years, victims of Corsica's violence have included farmers, elected officials, a lawyer, local business owners and even the president of the chamber of commerce. But for a cousin of the victim, Christian Leca, Orsoni's killing was a tipping point in the horror. People don't kill in cemeteries, it's intolerable, he told Le Monde newspaper. In recent times, the nature of the violence has changed as armed groups evolved from seeking autonomy to engaging in organized crime. This incident has further intensified concerns over mafia influence in Corsican society, raising fears of escalating violence in the already affected community.
