AFP Over 100 officers had to break up the brawl

FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Residents of Sisco, in the French island of Corsica, claimed that three men of Moroccan descent tried to ‘privatise’ the beach they were on by lobbing stones and vile insults at anyone trying to enter. Three brothers of Moroccan origin and two villagers were arrested yesterday in connection with what some French media are calling a ‘burkini brawl’ after local authorities revealed that the group of tourists taking pictures of burkini-clad Muslim women did not trigger the violent scuffles. The two Corsicans have since been released, but the three Muslim brothers remain in custody.

All five face immediate trial on charges of ‘gang assault’ and were due to appear in court. In addition to these charges, the three brothers are being accused of ‘violence involving the use of weapons.’

The three brothers tried to claim the beach for themselves, and privatise it Nicolas Bessonne, prosecutor

The scuffle, which left five people injured, got so out of hand that more than 100 police officers had to rush to the scene to break up the fight. Yesterday, one of three Muslim brothers told French TV station iTele that he and his family were having a peaceful “picnic” but other witnesses claimed they had spent the day physically and verbally attacking tourists and local youths, in an effort to privatise the beach and make sure people stayed away.

AFP Five people were injured in the incident in Sisco