Language ban in Corsica triggers outrage: A look at the plight of French Island

After a court in the French Island of Corsica banned the use of the Corsican language in its local parliament, public outrage sparked across the region. The fourth largest island in the Mediterranean region has been seeking greater legislative powers from France for a very long time. The infamous verdict came on March 9 in the Corsican city of Bastia. According to Sputnik, the court came to the conclusion that only French will be recognised as the official language on the Island which was the birthplace of the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. 

According to Sputnik, the court announced that the use of the Corsican language in public debates goes against the French Constitution. Before the judgement jolted the nation, the Corsican language was commonly used in the unicameral legislative body of Corsica. The region is currently a “territorial collectivity” of France. The French administration was eying to sideline the much-loved language from the mainstream media since it was closely related to a variant of Italian spoken in Tuscany. It was the year 1942 when the Italians occupied the Island with a huge force. 

The condemnation that followed

According to Sputnik, the court ruling prompted an immediate backlash from pro-democracy politicians in Corsica. Pro-autonomy party, Core in Fronte, took to Twitter to criticise the move and called it a “Shameful” verdict. “We denounce the decision of the TA of Bastia to cancel the internal regulations of the Assembly of Corsica and the Executive, which put the use of Corsican and French on an equal footing. It is linked to a contentious appeal by the State, for non-compliance with Art.2 of the Constitution,” the party wrote on Twitter. Jean-Christophe Angelini, the leader of the Party of the Corsican Nation also criticised the move. The political leader described the ruling as “unjust and a disgrace”. “The cancellation by the TA of Bastia of the internal regulations of the @AssembleeCorse and of the Executive sounds like an insult to us. His reason: Corsican cannot be a language of debate in the hemicycle. This is an injustice and a shame. We will not understand,” Angelini tweeted on Friday.  

Nous dénonçons la décision du TA de Bastia d'annuler les règlements intérieurs de l'Assemblée de Corse et de l'Exécutif, qui mettent à parité l'utilisation du corse et du français. C'est lié à un recours contentieux par l'Etat, pour non-conformité à l’Art.2 de la Constitution. pic.twitter.com/j62BSHfVqu

— Core In Fronte - Assemblea di Corsica (@CIF_Assemblea)

L’annulation par le TA de Bastia des règlements intérieurs de l’@AssembleeCorse et de l’Exécutif résonne pour nous comme une insulte. Son motif : le corse ne saurait être une langue du débat dans l’hémicycle. Si tratta quì d’un’inghjustizia è d’una vergogna. Ùn cappieremu micca. pic.twitter.com/J5fuq4pOgX

— Jean-Christophe Angelini (@JC_Angelini)

The struggle for autonomy

For years, the people of the French-administered Island have been seeking autonomy from France. Not only this, but in the past, the activists in the region have demanded the recognition of Crosican, also referred to as Corsu or Lingua Corsa as an official language. In 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron visited the Island nation and pledged to give the language a special status. However, Last month it was reported that Macron told the members of the French Parliament that he had no “predetermined decision” regarding Corsica. Macron’s assertion came when the French Parliament was discussing a draft of constitutional reforms for the Island. Once highly celebrated, the language is slowly starting to fade away. Last year, UNESCO classified the language as “definitely endangered”.