The head of state reached out to those repatriated from Algeria and acknowledged the shootings in the rue d’Isly in Algiers in March 1962 and the massacre in Oran the same year.
“forgivable for the Republic”, it is in these terms that Emmanuel Macron described the shooting of the rue d’Isly in Algiers in March 1962, in which dozens of supporters of French Algeria were killed by the army. On Wednesday, January 26, the Head of State addressed the returnees from Algeria and notably considered that the “massacre of July 5, 1962” in Oran should be “recognized”.
“That day, the French soldiers deployed against purpose, badly commanded, fired on French people. That day, it was a massacre”, declared Emmanuel Macron, adding that “60 years later” this “drama passed over in silence”, ” France recognizes this tragedy”. “And I say it loud and clear today: this massacre of March 26, 1962, is unforgivable for the Republic. All the French archives on this tragedy can be consulted and studied freely, ”he further assured.
“This massacre must be looked at in the face”
Referring to the “atrocious escalation of insecurity and violence”, “attacks and assassinations” which punctuated the end of the Algerian war, Emmanuel Macron also urged to recognize and “look in the face” the “massacre of the July 5, 1962” in Oran, which affected “hundreds of Europeans, mainly French”. “This massacre must be faced and recognized,” he said. “The truth must be in place and the story passed on,” insisted the head of state.
Faced with returnees, Emmanuel Macron also underlined the difficulty of “these months of farewell and heartbreak” which have affected thousands of families. “Your arrival in mainland France is a relief because you know you are safe here, but it is not a consolation, because you quickly feel misunderstood, despised for your values, your language, your accent, your culture”, recalled the Head of State, deploring that “most” have “come up against indifference when it was not prejudiced”.
On the road to “reconciliation”?
“60 years ago, those repatriated from Algeria were not listened to. 60 years ago, they were not received with the affection that every French citizen in distress deserves,” added the Head of State. And now, “the path that it is up to us to take is that of this reconciliation”, pleaded Emmanuel Macron.
This “recognition” is part of a series of memorial acts, since the beginning of the five-year term and as we approach the 60th anniversary of the end of the Algerian war with the Évian agreements and then the independence of this country on July 5, 1962. On September 20, 2021, the Head of State asked “forgiveness” to the harkis, Algerian auxiliaries to the French army, who was “abandoned” by France. A bill, recording this “pardon” and attempting to “repair” the damage suffered, is currently being examined in Parliament and should be adopted by the end of February.
