Algiers, Algeria — As France marked the anniversary of its victory over the Nazis on Wednesday, Algeria marked a more somber anniversary: the crackdown by French colonial forces against Algerian independence activists on the same day 79 years ago.
Both events took place on May 8, 1945.
In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron laid a wreath Wednesday before the eternal flame beneath the Napoleon-era Arc de Triomphe, honoring those who died fighting the Nazis and marking the end of World War II in Europe.
At the time of the war, Algeria was the crown jewel of the French colonial empire, and Algerian soldiers were among those sent to fight for France in Europe. The end of World War II unleashed independence movements in the former French and British empires.
Ceremonies were held in Algiers on Wednesday to honor protesters who took to the streets in the cities of Guelma, Sétif and Kherrata to call for freedom from French rule.
“On this day we remember the massacres of May 8, 1945, committed by the colonizer with extreme brutality and cruelty, to repress a growing national activist movement that had resulted in massive demonstrations that expressed the rebellion of the Algerian people and their aspiration for freedom. . and emancipation,” Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said in a statement.
They were unusually strong comments from the Algerian leader and a reminder of lingering tensions with France more than 60 years after Algeria gained its independence in a painful 1954-1962 war.
Algeria and France today maintain close economic, security and energy ties, but the question of historical justice remains a delicate point.
Tebboune is expected to raise it on a trip to France later this year. The question of historical memory “will remain at the center of our concerns until it enjoys objective treatment that does justice to historical truth,” Tebboune said in his statement this week.
During a visit to Algeria in 2022, Macron established a good relationship with Tebboune and agreed to create a commission of historians from both countries to make reconciliation proposals. The commission published proposals this year, including returning documents and artifacts from French archives to Algeria.
Algerian politicians have also called for financial reparations for French nuclear tests in the Sahara and, most importantly, an official apology from France for colonial-era crimes.
As France’s first leader born after that era, Macron has sought to confront the wrongdoings of his country’s past as it pivots toward a new era of relations with former colonies. But he has faced criticism at home, amid growing public support for far-right nationalists who defend the grievances of some French descendants of colonizers.