Algeria honors independence activists who were murdered in Paris
Date
10/24/2024 7:52:41 AM
(MENAFN) Algeria recently marked the 63rd anniversary of a tragic event in its struggle for independence, when dozens of Algerian activists were killed by French Police in Paris. During a commemorative event, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune emphasized the brutality experienced by the Algerian people during colonial rule, highlighting the massacre as a stark example of that oppression.
On October 17, 1961, approximately 30,000 Algerians peacefully protested in Paris against French colonial policies and a nighttime curfew specifically targeting them. In response, police violently suppressed the demonstration, an act of aggression that the French government attempted to conceal by censoring the media and destroying crucial records. Initially, French authorities acknowledged that 40 individuals were killed; however, many historians believe the actual number may range from 200 to 300, with victims shot or drowned.
The crackdown resulted in the arrest of around 12,000 Algerians. French President Emmanuel Macron, while recognizing the 60th anniversary of the incident in 2021, acknowledged that "several dozen" died in the "brutal, violent, and bloody" repression, and that many bodies were disposed of in the Seine River. Although he condemned these actions as "inexcusable," Macron did not offer a formal apology, leaving a lingering sense of unresolved historical grievance in Algeria.
President Tebboune's remarks serve to remind the world of the deep scars left by colonialism and the ongoing quest for justice and recognition of past atrocities. The haunting legacy of the Paris massacre continues to shape Algeria's national identity and its relationship with France, as it seeks to honor the memory of those who fought for freedom.
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