The shop, in the centre of the resort town of Propriano, was “hit with a torrent of heavy-weapons fire,” said Bouillard. No one was injured.
Corsica, known as the “Isle of Beauty” for its turquoise waters and picturesque mountains, was rocked by anti-Arab riots over Christmas.
Protests erupted after firefighters and a police officer called to a low-income neighbourhood, mostly home to North African immigrants, were ambushed and attacked.
Demonstrators shouting slogans such as “This is our home!” and “Arabs get out”, vandalised a Muslim prayer hall and set fire to books including copies of the Koran.
Six people have been charged in connection with that unrest.