Hundreds defy protest ban after Muslim prayer hall attack

Several hundred people have marched in Corsica, defying a ban on protests introduced after a Muslim prayer hall was vandalised on the French island. They avoided going to the poor neighbourhood of Ajaccio where Friday's attack happened, instead rallying in other areas of the regional capital. The prayer hall was raided by crowds in apparent retaliation for an attack on firefighters a day earlier. Previous marches had seen participants shout: "Arabs get out!" Some protesters blamed local Arab residents for the attack on the firefighters. The French government condemned both the protests that followed and the anti-Muslim attack. Image copyright AFP Image caption Attackers smashed windows and ransacked the Muslim prayer room in Ajaccio On Sunday, the demonstrators marched through several neighbourhoods in Ajaccio, but did not go to the Jardins de l'Empereur area - the scene of Friday's attack. The authorities earlier announced a ban on all gatherings in the flashpoint area until at least 4 January. The protesters rejected accusations that their rally was racist, chanting: "We fight against scum, not against Arabs!" and "We aren't thugs, we aren't racists!" Police were deployed around the Jardins de l'Empereur, home to many immigrants, to prevent any clashes.