Masked rebels on the French island of Corsica have intensified a campaign of bombing and torching luxury vacation homes, targeting properties owned by mainlanders and foreigners in an effort to deter outside buyers and preserve the island for locals. Since October 2023, at least 34 homes across 20 towns have been affected by these attacks, with further incidents reported as recently as March 2026. The National Liberation Front of Corsica (FLNC), a paramilitary wing of a long-standing independence movement, has claimed responsibility for these actions.
In January 2024, approximately 15 masked and armed members of the FLNC held a press conference issuing direct warnings to tourists and second-home buyers. "Until our national rights are recognized and respected, we have only one message to send them," one member stated. "Stay home. And, if that’s not the case, do not consider yourself safe on our national territory."
Despite these threats, the real estate market on Corsica remains active. According to a 2026 report from the Corsican Assembly, second homes now constitute 37% of the island's housing stock, and as much as 50% in some coastal areas. Real estate agents report that while some prospective buyers express significant fear, others remain undeterred, with some acting with what one agent described as "arrogance." Mona Wingate, whose family has owned property on the island since 1975, has adopted a different approach. She has opened her land to locals and participates in village events, stating, "It’s their land and they had access to it for hundreds of years." She has not experienced any problems.
The bombing campaign has coincided with political developments aimed at granting Corsica greater autonomy. The French Senate is set to vote on a constitutional amendment that would recognize the island's distinct language, culture, and history, while also granting its local government increased authority over zoning and waste management. This would mark the first time a French region receives such a status.
However, the proposed amendment does not address the core demand of hardline separatists: control over property ownership. Petru Antone Tomasi, a spokesman for the independence party Nazione, which opposes the amendment as a compromise, emphasized the interconnectedness of the land dispute and the broader independence movement. "We consider the fight for the land intertwined with the struggle for Corsica," Tomasi said.
The FLNC has a history of attacks dating back to 1976, including significant operations against vacation homes in 1991 and 2012. Since 2024 alone, at least fifteen homes have been burned or bombed. A counterterrorism investigation into the 2023 attacks has resulted in 10 arrests, and a separate probe has been opened into the January 2024 press conference.
Meanwhile, the market for luxury properties continues. Madeleine Michaud, a retiree from Lyon, purchased a home for 2.5 million euros in southern Corsica. While she noticed nationalist tattoos on some construction workers, she believes her ties to local friends offer protection. "They don’t care about me," she remarked.
The ongoing tension highlights the unresolved conflict between the separatists' demands for land control and the French government's approach to Corsican autonomy, all set against a backdrop of a thriving, albeit targeted, real estate market.