Anti-Muslim Protests in France after Firefighters Ambushed

Prefect Christophe Mirmand said police reinforcements were being called into the Corsican capital of Ajaccio from mainland France, and prayer rooms and mosques were being guarded.

Two separate investigations were opened, one into the attack on firefighters Thursday and the other into the damage to the prayer room Friday, he said on iTele TV station.

Tensions were high on the Mediterranean island, widely known in France as the Isle of Beauty.

The violence began Thursday night, when firefighters responding to an emergency call were ambushed in a housing project in the hills of Ajaccio. It was not clear what prompted that violence.

On Friday, a gathering of about 600 people that started as a show of support for the injured emergency officials led to more violence when several dozen people broke away, headed to the prayer room. There, they threw objects and tried to burn Qurans and prayer books, officials said. They also vandalized a kebab shop.

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