The Assembly votes on a decision condemning the bloodbath of Algerians in Paris on October 17, 1961 | EUROtoday

Published on : 03/28/2024 – 11:00

2 minutes

The symbolic recognition of one of many darkest pages in French historical past. The National Assembly authorized, Thursday, March 28, a proposed decision which “condemns the bloody and murderous repression of Algerians committed under the authority of police prefect Maurice Papon on October 17, 1961.”

Sixty-seven deputies voted for and 11 towards, from the ranks of the National Rally. The textual content additionally “wishes” for “the inclusion of a day of commemoration (of this) massacre” within the “agenda of national days and official ceremonies”.

Read additionallyOctober 17, 1961, a bloodbath of Algerians within the coronary heart of Paris

On the event of the 61st anniversary of this tragic date, in 2022, the President of the Republic as soon as once more denounced the bloody repression of the peaceable demonstration. “In Paris, 61 years ago, the repression of a demonstration by Algerian independence activists left hundreds injured and dozens dead. Inexcusable crimes for the Republic. France does not forget the victims. The truth is the only path to a shared future”, Emmanuel Macron then wrote on.

The identical day, in Algeria, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune noticed a minute of silence in tribute to the victims.

At least 48 lifeless in a single night time

On October 17, 1961, because the Algerian War was coming to an finish, an indication by “French Muslims of Algeria” (FMA) was violently repressed in Paris.

Their crime? Having demonstrated peacefully, on the name of the French Federation of the National Liberation Front (FLN), towards the curfew imposed on them by the capital's police chief, Maurice Papon. That night time, and within the days that adopted, males had been overwhelmed, executed or thrown into the Seine by police forces.

Stifled initially by politicians and the police, censored within the media, then hidden, this drama, designated as “the most violent contemporary state repression ever applied to a street demonstration in Western Europe” by British historians Jim House and Neil MacMaster, continues to be controversial.

For a number of many years, the official dying toll was three. Today, there are at the least 48 deaths for this October night time alone, even when for a lot of historians, it’s nicely over 100.

Read additionallyOn February 8, 1962, an indication for peace in Algeria was bloodily repressed in Charonne

With AFP