French-Algeria Memory War: The Far-right Explodes a Front

A legal battle with memory-related backgrounds broke out between a journalist of Algerian origin and one of the French figures affiliated with the extreme right, represented by Marion Maréchal Le Pen, who is considered a leader in the “Reconquest” party, which is led by the extremist Jew who arrived in France, Eric Zemmour.

This legal battle comes in light of the efforts made by Algerian and French officials to alleviate the intensity of the memory war that has been raging between the two countries for decades, which was embodied by the establishment of a mixed commission composed of Algerian and French historians, to discuss ways to reach solutions that would overcome one of the most complex files and sensitive issues that have poisoned bilateral relations more than once.

The case dates back to the second half of February, exactly while preparations were in full swing for the success of the peaceful sit-in that Algerian activists intended to organize in the French capital, Paris, on the occasion of the Martyr’s Day, which falls on February 18 of each year. The French authorities previously cancelled this activity, claiming that it threatened stability and security in major French cities.

The victim in this case is the journalist Hana Ghezzar Bouakkaz, who works for the French channel RMC, was subjected to harassment via social media by Marion Maréchal Le Pen, with a lot of hatred and racism. The far-right politician demanded that she return to her homeland, Algeria, due to its directing, last February 16, of an audio and video appeal, on its account on the “X” platform, or previously “Twitter”, calling on Algerians to participate in the peaceful vigil to commemorate the Martyr’s Day.

A statement signed by her lawyer, Mr Nabil Boudi, states; “On the sixteenth of February 2024, journalist Hana Ghezzar published a video on her “X” account, announcing a gathering to commemorate the Algerian martyrs.” The same statement indicated that this gathering was called by many figures, but it was later banned by the security services of Paris.

Journalist Hana Ghezzar Bouakkaz’s defence statement explained that the video that she published on her X account was the subject of an unprovoked attack by the far-right politician, Marion Maréchal Le Pen, who wrote a “tweet” on February 17, 2024, on her account, accusing through it, journalist Hana Ghezzar of glorifying war crimes, simply because she “provided her support to the Algerians who were martyred during the liberation war.”

According to the victim’s defence, the circulation of the “tweet” by the extreme right-wing politician led to the spread of a campaign of hatred on social media, followed by insults and death threats against journalist Hana Ghezzar Bouakkaz and her relatives, which was behind the victim’s decision to resort to French justice to punish Maréchal Le Pen, a complaint that will also affect everyone who engaged in the hate campaign against the journalist, after the controversial tweet”, the statement added.

Marion Maréchal Le Pen’s tweet embodies the traditional positions of the Le Pen family, known for its hostility to everything Algerian, noting that the leader of the extreme right and founder of the French National Front party, Jean-Marie Le Pen, is one of those involved in the atrocities of torture that were systematic during the liberation revolution, according to the testimonies of many army officers. The French occupation was led by the criminal, Paul Aussaresses who admitted in his memoirs to practising torture against Algerians when he was in charge of the police services.

Everyone knows that there were French Martyrs who also fought for Algerian independence, like the Martyr Maurice Audin who is in the hearts of Algerians, others are unknown but Algerians have never forgotten them. Who can destroy a common memory made of blood and glory?