December 30, 2024
By Nasser Kandil
• Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune addressed the Algerian Parliament yesterday, affirming that Algeria seeks recognition from France for the crimes committed during the colonial era but rejects any financial compensation, stating, “We seek dignity for our ancestors”. He added, “The number of Algerian martyrs throughout 132 years of colonisation totals 5.6 million. No amount of money can replace even one martyr from the era of resistance or armed struggle”. These remarks come amidst a severe political crisis between Algeria and France, which has led Algeria to recall its ambassador from Paris and summon the French ambassador. Algerian authorities attribute this escalation to “hostile acts by French external intelligence on Algerian soil”.
Tebboune further emphasised the need for moral recognition, rejecting French myths that falsely claim, “Algeria was a swamp that France built upon its arrival”. He asserted that French colonialism “brought nothing but destruction” to Algeria, a country that “provided wheat to the Romans in ancient times and to France before 1830”. He continued, “When French colonisation began, it found all Algerians educated, while its soldiers were ignorant and brutal in their killings and abuses”.
• This firm Algerian stance, defending the national rights of its people and protecting their sacrifices, is courageously articulated by President Tebboune in the face of France’s ongoing evasions. These include sidestepping a direct and public apology by accompanying it with claims of French colonial contributions to Algeria’s development, as well as avoiding the repatriation of the skulls of Algerian martyrs killed and taken to France.
• Algeria’s resolute position emerges at a time when the country faces Western pressure to weaken its stance on Arab issues, particularly the Palestinian cause, in light of ongoing regional wars and the devastating toll on resistance fronts. Threats of terrorism are wielded against Algeria as a warning of potential targeting unless it submits to Western policies and obeys their dictates to shift its position on Palestine. Algeria’s steadfastness serves as a reassuring response, demonstrating its strength, resilience, and unwavering principles. Today, Algeria stands as one of the most formidable bastions of liberation forces in the region, embodying a fortress of resistance and hope for freedom movements.
