October 4, 2026
The vandalism of a statue of the Virgin Mary in the city of Porto Vecchio on the French island of Corsica sparked a widespread wave of anger, after it was found lying on the ground after being taken from its base, while the authorities arrested two young men and opened an official investigation to determine the motives and circumstances of the incident.
The statue, erected under an arch in the “Stabiacho” roundabout at the southern entrance to the city, was found fallen to the ground with flowers placed at its feet scattered, which sparked widespread dissatisfaction among residents and local religious authorities.
According to what Le Figaro newspaper reported from the Ajaccio Public Prosecutor’s Office, the authorities arrested two suspects on Thursday morning and placed them in pretrial detention. Local reports stated that they were 21 and 23 years old and were under the strong influence of alcohol.
The investigation was assigned to the Gendarmerie Forces, while the Public Prosecution confirmed that the ongoing hearings and investigations will reveal the motives and context in which the incident occurred.
In the same context, the spread of video clips on social media platforms contributed to fueling anger, as one of the clips documented a young man climbing the statue, causing it to fall, while another person filmed the scene.
The mayor of Porto Vecchio, Jean-Christophe Angelini, described the incident as a “disgraceful act,” stressing that the statue represents a symbol of special importance to the city’s residents. He announced that the municipality had filed a complaint and demanded a strict judicial response, while emphasizing respect for the powers of the judiciary and security services, pledging to replace the statue “as soon as possible” based on local traditions and the wishes of the people.
In turn, the local pastoral unit filed an official complaint, considering the incident an “insult that entails sacrilege,” and called for organizing a gathering at the “Stabiacho” roundabout to pray and honor the Virgin Mary.
The state of discontent spread to the street, where more than 100 people gathered in front of the Gendarmerie headquarters in Porto Vecchio coinciding with the interrogation of the two suspects, and some participants deliberately placed a coffin on the ground as a symbolic step to express the gravity of the incident for them. The “Corsican Nation Party” also condemned the incident, considering that it goes beyond an abstract act of sabotage to affect the values and identity of Corsica.
It is noteworthy that the statue of the Virgin Mary was erected in 2020 during Mayor Angelini’s first term, at the request of Father Constant, and has since become one of the prominent landmarks in the “Stabiacho” roundabout.
This incident comes in light of a sensitive climate in France, where attacks on religious symbols usually raise abstract discussions that go beyond the criminal dimension to touch on issues of identity, coexistence, and religious freedoms, awaiting the results of official judicial investigations to determine the actual motives behind the incident.
