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On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the deadly suppression of the 1961 Algerian protests by the Paris police as “unforgivable”, and the French authorities concealed its scale for decades.
Macron told relatives and activists on the 60th anniversary of the bloodshed that the “crime” occurred on the evening of October 17, 1961, by Maurice Papen.
He admitted that dozens of protesters were killed, “their bodies were thrown into the Seine” and paid tribute to the victims.
The exact number of victims has never been known, and some activists fear that hundreds of people may be killed.
The police attacked 25,000 pro-National Liberation Front (FLN) Algerians in protest against the curfew on Algerians.
Macron’s office said in a statement that the march was “cruel, violent and bloody” suppressed.
The Elysée Palace said that Macron “recognized the fact that the crime committed by Maurice Patpong that night is unforgivable for the Republic.”
“This tragedy has been covered up, denied or concealed for a long time,” it added.
The rally was held during the last year of France’s increasingly violent attempt to keep Algeria as a North African colony, and during the bombing of the French mainland by pro-independence fighters.
According to reports, Papen worked with the Nazi occupiers in World War II in the 1980s and participated in the deportation of Jews. He was convicted of crimes against humanity but was later released.
‘farther’
Macron was the first French president to attend the memorial service for the victims. He observed a minute of silence on the Bessons Bridge on the Seine River in the outskirts of Paris where the protest began.
His comments on criminal behavior go further than his predecessor, François Hollande, who admitted in 2012 that the protesting Algerians were “killed in a bloody crackdown”.
However, as expected, he did not formally apologize. He also did not give a public speech at the Elysee Palace, only a written statement.
As the first leader born after the French colonial era, the President prioritized historical reconciliation and established modern relations with the former colonies.
But Macron, who is expected to seek re-election next year, is cautious about inciting strong opposition from political opponents.
His far-right election opponents, nationalists Marina Le Pen and Eric Zemur bluntly criticized efforts to admit or repent of past crimes.
Historian Emmanuel Blanchard told AFP that Macron’s comments represent “progress” and “go further” than Hollande’s comments in 2012.
However, he disagrees with the decision to attribute the blame to Patpon alone, saying that the then Prime Minister Michel Debre and President Charles de Gaulle were not responsible for the subsequent cover-ups, or that Patpon will remain the chief of the Paris police until 1967. This fact.
‘Watching soberly’
The 1961 protests were in response to a strict curfew imposed on Algerians to prevent the FLN underground resistance from raising funds after a series of deadly attacks by the French police.
Some of the most serious incidents of violence occurred on the Saint-Michel Bridge near Notre Dame Cathedral. Witnesses reported seeing police throwing Algerians into the Seine River, where they drowned.
At that time, the police arrested approximately 12,000 Algerians, killed several people, and shot others.
Macron’s comments were made amid an ongoing diplomatic dispute between Paris and Algiers, where the president stated that the country is governed by a “political and military system” that “completely rewrites” its history.
Earlier this year, a report commissioned by the historian President Benjamin Stora urged the establishment of a truth commission about the Algerian war, but Macron ruled out the possibility of issuing any official apology.
Another historical committee established by Macron also found that France was overwhelmingly responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. This discovery led to a easing of relations between Paris and Kigali.
The Elysée Palace said: “France is taking a sober look at all its history and recognizing the responsibilities that have been clearly established.”
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