Despite France’s reputation as a bastion of freedom and its encouragement of protests, French authorities have banned all demonstrations related to Algeria in Paris, citing “serious risks of public order disturbances.”
Paris Police Chief Laurent Nunez made a clear stance against marches about Algeria.
French newspaper “Le Figaro” reported that the police chief prohibited the planned demonstrations this Sunday in Paris on the occasion of Martyrs’ Day, dedicated to Algerian fighters who died during the Algerian War, adding that protests linked to the Hirak movement, which opposes the Algerian authority, were also banned due to the potential risk to public order.
The prohibition encompasses all demonstrations planned for the following Sunday, both in memory of Martyrs’ Day and related to the Hirak movement, due to the serious risk of public order disturbances.
A march was scheduled to take place at 2 PM in Place de la Nation in Paris, called by a collective to commemorate the National Martyrs’ Day, honoring Algerian fighters who perished during the Algerian War (1954-1962), which led to the country’s independence.
Sunday also marks the fifth anniversary of the Hirak, a popular protest movement against the 2019 election for a fifth term of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was forced to resign. Rallies were planned in the capital to commemorate the founding of the Hirak.
In contrast, the Algerian newspaper “Algeria Patriot” commented on how the situation in France is complicated by Algerian martyrs 62 years after independence. The Paris Police Directorate recently prohibited a gathering in the French capital intended to honor National Martyrs’ Day. The French authorities announced the night before that the event could not take place “due to the risk of serious disturbances to public order.”
The Algerian newspaper, in its French edition, criticized official France, which has historically amplified protests by a handful of provocateurs settled in France due to the significant income obtained from misinformation targeting Algeria through social networks. The newspaper suggested that France should instead educate its agents not to engage in such activities.
According to the Algerian newspaper, France’s collusion with these “foreign opponents” was exposed through the press release’s wording, which adopted the Arabic term “Hirak,” despite the norm being that this French sovereign institution should not adopt a foreign term used by protestors.
The far-right and the Harkis quickly opposed the celebration of Martyrs’ Day, condemning the anti-French honors by the Algerian National Liberation Front.
