French Bill Accused Algeria Of Massacres Against Pieds-Noirs

French National Assembly (parliament) proposed a new draft law that recognizes the responsibility of France in the abandonment of the deportees from Algeria or those who are know as the French Algerians (Pieds Noirs) and others who were deported as well, and accused Algeria explicitly of committing the alleged massacres, torture, rape, extortion and persecution against what it called French Algerians in the wake of Independence in July,5, 1962.

This project comes a few weeks after the French parliament proposed another bill that accuses Algeria of committing massacres against Harkis before and after the independence of Algeria.

This bill, which copy is available to Echorouk, was proposed by 15 French MPs, and was registered at the level of the French National Assembly Chairmanship office, on December 21, 2016, under the name of “A draft law that aimed at the formal recognition of the French state in neglecting the massacres that have occurred against the French deportees”, and noted that the proposal was referred to the Committee on constitutional law and public administration of the French Republic.

When citing the reasons, the French MPs said that after 50 years of Algerian independence, the generations of French deportees are still looking for the recognition of what happened to them, and they drew attention that it was passed by several laws which aimed at finding solutions to the victims of the war in Algeria, noting that the state is asked to find a formula that can calm down those who found themselves in the heart of the tragic events in 1962, and legally recognize their suffering and their sacrifices.

According to the prosecutors, those citizens missed, during this period, material possessions, and left their homes and lost their relatives, their careers, businesses, friendships and memories, because of a political decision that seemed to them as unfair and not subject to the understanding and comprehension. They accused Algeria explicitly of committing what they described as “massacres against French citizens following the signing of the ceasefire agreement”.

“Massacres against the French-born citizens that followed the ceasefire on March 19, 1962, do not need to be shown and highlighted, because there have been many assassinations, persecution, rape, torture, looting and kidnapping, and to this day they remain without any punishment, and the French state has chosen not to protect its citizens, and this decision must be repaired!”.

French bill includes 7 legal articles, unlike the Harkis law that is contained in one article. As its first article states that the French state officially acknowledges the suffering and extortion against the French citizens in Algeria between March, 19, 1962 and December 31, 1963, because of their ethnic, religion or political affiliation.

Article II stated that the archives should be opened to researchers and historians to launch research on this historical period, while Article III stated that the state should grant a cash compensation on the physical, moral or psychological suffering of the French Algerians, for those who apply for this, and the French state must completely or partially repair the physical and economic commitment that are resulting from the eviction of the movable and immovable properties of the French Algerians, who were the owners in Algeria.

Articles IV and V spoke about the need to launch a census of the evacuees from Algeria, waiting for the payment of dues that are stipulated in Article III, and which prevent the permanent people natural or legal persons of any follow-up against these owners.

Article VI of the provocative bill includes a deadline of one year from the date of the publication of the law to notify the empowered authorities to benefit from the measures of the law, whether it is about an ongoing consideration or a request that is submitted for the first time at the request of the French who were deported from Algeria, and the concerned people have the right to provide an application in their names or in the name of legal persons (organizations).

The seventh and final article spoke about the burden of compensation for these people, which stipulates that they are compensated by adopting additional fee to the Article 575 and 575 (A) of the French General Tax Code.