A statue of the Virgin Mary in Porto-Vecchio, Corsica, was vandalised after a temporary shrine was found with 70 LED candles laid around it, local police investigations reported. On 1 October, two seasonal workers allegedly defaced a Virgin Mary statue at the entrance to the city, where the resin icon had been set up in 2020 to protect local residents during the Covid crisis. Six weeks later, the “true” statue from the roundabout went missing. Investigators say the first vandalism was staged and shared online by those responsible, sparking anger among people in Corsica. A search followed, conducted both online and in person, until the suspects were taken out of Corsica by authorities and sent to the mainland. The case has also drawn sharp reactions locally. A shopkeeper in the tourist town said the suspects would have faced retaliation if not for the intervention by gendarmes. The investigation status and any charges or court outcome were not provided in the report.