Residents
of Sisco, in the French island of Corsica, claimed that three men of
Moroccan descent tried to ‘privatise’ the beach they were on by lobbing
stones and vile insults at anyone trying to enter.
Three
brothers of Moroccan origin and two villagers were arrested yesterday
in connection with what some French media are calling a ‘burkini brawl’
after local authorities revealed that the group of tourists taking
pictures of burkini-clad Muslim women did not trigger the violent
scuffles.
The two Corsicans have since been released, but the three Muslim brothers remain in custody.
All five face
immediate trial on charges of ‘gang assault’ and were due to appear in
court. In addition to these charges, the three brothers are being
accused of ‘violence involving the use of weapons.’
The scuffle, which left
five people injured, got so out of hand that more than 100 police
officers had to rush to the scene to break up the fight.
Yesterday,
one of three Muslim brothers told French TV station iTele that he and
his family were having a peaceful “picnic” but other witnesses claimed
they had spent the day physically and verbally attacking tourists and
local youths, in an effort to privatise the beach and make sure people
stayed away.
But
according to Nicolas Bessonne, the local prosecutor in charge of the
case, said: “The three brothers tried to claim the beach for themselves,
and privatise it. They threw stones at people who got too close to them
and tried to intimidate them. Tensions rose, and insults and threats
were exchanged.
"Tourists were involved, and the Muslim
brothers did indeed threaten and insult a Belgian tourist taking
pictures of the creek and a group local youths. And that’s when the
fight broke out.”
On Tuesday,
Ange-Pierre Vivoni, the mayor of Sisco, imposed a burkini ban on his
beaches, and asked locals to “respect the town’s secular rules.”
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