Algeria Approves Law Labeling French Colonisation a Crime
Algeria’s parliament has passed with full support a piece of legislation declaring French colonial rule of the country a crime and called for an official apology and compensation.
Legislators, gathered in parliament wearing scarves in the colors of the Algerian flag, shouted “long live Algeria” on Wednesday as they celebrated the passage of the legislation, which affirms that the former colonial power holds “accountability for its colonial past in Algeria and the tragedies it caused”.
A Diplomatic Strain and a Symbolic Gesture
The both nations are locked in a major diplomatic crisis and observers note that while Algeria’s action is largely gestural, it is still a major political statement.
“a clear message, both internally and internationally, that the nation's historical memory is not erasable nor subject to negotiation.”
The law lists the “crimes of colonial rule”, which include atomic tests, summary executions, “physical and psychological torture” and the “systematic plundering of resources”.
Demand for Reparations
It asserts that “full and fair compensation for all material and moral damages caused by colonial rule is an inalienable right of the Algerian state and its people”.
French governance over Algeria from the 19th century until 1962 was a era characterized by mass killings and large-scale deportations, culminating in the bloody independence war from the mid-1950s to 1962.
- Algerian officials states the war claimed one and a half million lives.
- Historians in France estimate the fatalities at 500,000 in total, 400,000 of them Algerian.
French Response and Academic View
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has previously recognized the colonial era of Algeria as a “crime against humanity” but has stopped short of an official apology.
Asked recently about the parliamentary decision, a diplomatic spokesperson stated he would not discuss “internal political matters taking place in other nations”.
A researcher in colonial history, commented that “legally, this law has little international force and therefore is not enforceable for France”. However, “its political and symbolic importance is considerable: it signifies a rupture in the relationship with France in terms of historical memory,” he said.
