French lawmakers condemn ‘bloody and deadly’ massacre of Algerian protesters in 1961

2024-03-28 18:42:02

PARIS (AP) — French lawmakers on Thursday condemned the infamous police offensive against Algerian protesters in Paris in 1961, calling it “a bloody and deadly repression,” taking another step toward the country’s recognition of of the massacre that the authorities sought to cover up for decades.

The National Assembly, which is the lower house of the French parliament, voted 67-11 in favor of a non-binding resolution condemning the police brutality that occurred on October 17, 1961. The resolution also calls for France to establish a national day of commemoration.

Nearly 12,000 Algerians were arrested in the offensive, dozens of them were killed, “and their bodies were thrown into the Seine River,” President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged in 2021, on the 60th anniversary of the massacre.

Historians note that at least 120 protesters died, some by gunshots and others by drowning, Macron’s government said at the time.

In 1961, protesters responded to a call for a peaceful demonstration made by the French branch of the National Liberation Front, or FLN, which was fighting for Algerian independence, against a discriminatory nighttime curfew targeting Algerians in the region. from Paris.

Algeria was occupied by France for 132 years until its independence in 1962.

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