“It is urgent to rebuild the bilateral relationship between France and Algeria”

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Tribune. The date of October 17, 1961 symbolizes the extreme violence of France exerted on the Algerians until the eve of independence. It is a national trauma repressed in the depths of the French collective memory as if we were unable to face our demons materialized by these many bodies found failed and drowned in the Seine. following the bloody crackdown on a peaceful demonstration by FLN sympathizers in the heart of Paris. As if these Algerians were animals, subhumans that had to be tamed so that they never lift their heads.

General de Gaulle, Prime Minister Michel Debré and the then Prefect of Police, Maurice Papon, have an undeniable responsibility in this state massacre.

Read also Article reserved for our subscribers “The long forgetfulness of the massacre of Algerians on October 17, 1961 in Paris, arranged at the same time the Gaullists, the left and the Algerian regime”

The few timid attempts at a Republican start towards these poor Algerian victims did not lead to anything concrete. Why have successive rulers been unable to restore dignity to these victims? The answer lies in this French poison of racism, in particular against Algerians, omnipresent and invisible. The question today is what President Macron will do on October 17, 2021.

These Algerian victims are martyrs of the independence revolution because they had dared to raise their heads to become worthy and free men again. They have been for many centuries with a deep national feeling, contrary to what President Macron claims. This Algerian nation is attached to its Amazigh identity (which means “free man”) long before the French conquest. Therefore, short-lived speeches will not be enough, concrete measures will be needed to appease memories. The main one: a law of recognition and reparation for Algerian victims.

Corruption, authoritarian regime, annuity system

They often found themselves alone in their struggle to have these crimes recognized. The French – the righteous – carried the debate with dignity but, unfortunately, with little effect as if France still refused to accept its barbarism at the time. For its part, Algeria forgot a little too quickly that it was the revolutionary tax and the generosity of this diaspora which largely financed the war of independence.

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