Up to 600 French protesters desecrated a Muslim prayer hall in Corsica in a revenge attack prompted by the wounding of two firefighters and a police officer.

The furious mob smashed the prayer hall's glass door, ransacked the interior and left around 50 partially-burned Korans littering the street overnight.

Chanting 'Arabs get out!' and 'This is our home', protesters marched through the streets of the French Mediterranean island's capital, Ajaccio.

Desecration: A photograph taken through the smashed glass of the Muslim prayer hall in Corsica shows the ransacked interior

Destruction: Up to 600 protesters marched through the streets of the French Mediterranean last night, and burned copies of the Koran (pictured)

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls described the attack on Twitter as 'an unacceptable desecration', and branded the violence towards the firefighters as an 'intolerable attack'.

The violence began on the night of December 24, when two firefighters were 'ambushed' by 'several hooded youths' in the low-income neighbourhood of Jardins de L'Empereur.

It escalated when several hundred people gathered in front of police headquarters in the capital city, before marching through the streets to the housing estate where the attack on the firefighters took place.

They then launched the violent assault on the local prayer room.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazaneuve insisted the perpetrators of both incidents would be tracked down and arrested, adding that there was no place for 'racism and xenophobia' in France.

Violence: The attack on the prayer hall followed the 'ambush' of two firefighters in the city on Thursday night by 'several hooded youths'

Condemned: The government branded the attack 'unacceptable' and pledged that the perpetrators of both assaults would be tracked down and arrested

He said of the attack on the firefighters that he hoped 'the authors of the violence would be identified and arrested as soon as possible'.

Anouar Kbibech, president of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), said he had learnt of the mosque attack and the burning of 'several copies of the Koran' with 'distress'.

Dalil Boubakeur, the rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, said he was 'dismayed and saddened' by the events on Corsica in an appearance on France's BFMTV, calling for 'calm and cool heads'.

Local authorities including Christophe Mirmand, the prefect or top official of Corsica, also vowed to arrest those responsible for the outbreak of violence.

Revenge: Local authorities including Christophe Mirmand, the prefect or top official of Corsica, also vowed to arrest those responsible for the outbreak of violence

DEATH OF IMMIGRANT IN SOUTHERN SPANISH RESORT SPARKS RIOTING The death of an immigrant in a southern Spanish resort sparked riots, with African migrants setting fire to rubbish bins and cars. The man, who was stabbed to death, was from Guinea-Bissau but was living in the Spanish city of Roquetas del Mar, in the province of Almeria. Manolo Garcia, a city councillor in Roquetas del Mar, said the killing of the 41-year-old man in the city led to protests which descended into violence in the working class neighbourhood of Cortijos de Marin. 'Garbage bins are being burned, cars have been burned, windows have been shattered,' he told radio news station Cadena Ser. Local online newspaper Ideal published a photograph of a rubbish container engulfed in flames in the middle of a street near a pharmacy, as well as a video of man pushing a rubbish bin onto a burning car. Police found the body of the man from Guinea-Bissau on a street in the early hours of Friday. They suspect the man was stabbed following a dispute over a traffic accident, local media reported. Up to 40 people took part in the unrest but police have brought it under control, the assistant deputy of the national government in Almeria, Andres Garcia Lopez, told Cadena Ser. 'At this moment the situation is back to normal,' he said. Police remained at the scene throughout the night and will stay for the next few days to prevent any renewal of unrest, he added. No one was injured in the riot and no arrests were made. The province of Almeria is home to a sea of plastic greenhouses that employ many migrants as vegetable and fruit labourers. It also relies on tourism but the jobless rate in the province stands at 31 per cent, much higher than the already high national rate of 21 per cent. Advertisement

Police remained in Ajaccio overnight, securing five Muslim places of worship in the city.

The violence came amid heightened security over the festive period, with around 120,000 French police, members of armed units and soldiers mobilised on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

France is witnessing a rise in anti-Muslim and anti-migration feeling following the November 13 terror attacks in Paris which left 130 people dead.