Paris Mayor to Memorialize Colonial Massacre in Laghouat: A French Attempt to Leverage the Memory File
BY: Dr. Hana Saada
Algiers, Algeria | November 24th, 2024 — France’s renewed engagement with its colonial past, particularly through symbolic gestures, underscores its calculated attempts to wield the contentious memory file as a diplomatic tool with Algeria. This strategy emerges against the backdrop of heightened geopolitical tensions, especially following French President Emmanuel Macron’s overt support for Morocco in the Western Sahara dispute, a move that has strained Algerian-French relations to unprecedented levels.
In a bold yet controversial step, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced her plan to inaugurate a commemorative event on December 4 at Laghouat Street in Paris, honoring the victims of the brutal French colonial massacre in Laghouat in 1852. The ceremony, which will see the participation of Deputy Mayor Laurence Patrice and the 18th District Mayor Éric Lejoindre, acknowledges the atrocities committed by French forces, resulting in the deaths of two-thirds of Laghouat’s population. Hidalgo’s invitation to local dignitaries explicitly references this tragic event, marking a rare acknowledgment from a prominent French official of the genocide perpetrated during the colonial era.
The significance of this gesture is amplified by the stature of the Paris mayoralty, often a springboard to higher political office in France. Historical precedents, such as former President Jacques Chirac’s rise from Paris Mayor to the Élysée Palace, emphasize the political weight of such acts, suggesting potential ulterior motives behind Hidalgo’s move.
This commemoration follows a recent surge in French efforts to engage with Algeria through symbolic reconciliatory gestures. Less than a week ago, the French Embassy in Algeria announced President Macron’s directive to Ambassador Stéphane Romatet to lay a wreath at the grave of martyr Larbi Ben M’Hidi in the Martyrs’ Square of Algiers’ El Alia Cemetery. This act was coupled with a November 1 statement from the Élysée, admitting French responsibility for Ben M’Hidi’s execution in 1957 after decades of perpetuating falsehoods about his death. Notably, war criminal Paul Aussaresses had debunked the official narrative in 2001, revealing the truth behind Ben M’Hidi’s assassination.
Despite these overtures, Algerian authorities remain resolutely silent, signaling a preference for maintaining the de facto estrangement that has characterized bilateral relations since Macron’s pivot towards Morocco. This diplomatic rift led Algeria to suspend its participation in the joint Algerian-French memory committee, initially scheduled to meet in July. The committee’s indefinite inactivity further reflects the uncertainty shrouding efforts to reconcile the historical narrative between the two nations.
Hidalgo’s commemorative initiative marks the third major French gesture regarding the memory file in less than a month, revealing a pattern of intensified efforts to revive this contentious issue. However, these gestures appear to be motivated less by genuine reconciliation and more by a desire to counter the fallout from France’s perceived geopolitical missteps.
The massacre in Laghouat, one of the most heinous crimes of French colonial rule, remains a haunting reminder of the atrocities inflicted upon Algerians. While symbolic recognition is a step toward addressing historical injustices, Algerians continue to demand substantive action, including the unconditional return of stolen archives, official acknowledgment of colonial crimes, and reparations for the enduring scars left by 132 years of occupation.
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