French Media Outlets Avert Addressing The Law Criminalizing Colonialism

Unusually, French media outlets, both public and private, did not address the draft law criminalizing French colonialism in Algeria, 48 hours after the news broke. The law has reached its final stages and its formalization is only a matter of a week, with a ratification session scheduled for next week (December 24).

None of the public or private newspapers, websites, or television channels covered the topic over the past two days, following a comprehensive survey conducted by “Echorouk” of the media landscape in France. This unprecedented situation remains unexplained by observers of the French media scene, raising questions about the background of this media approach in a country that considers freedom of expression one of its sacred principles.

Even the French news agency (Agence France-Presse), a French public institution, despite having a special correspondent in Algeria, did not address the issue at all. This is at a time when this draft law has received significant attention from local media, both public and private, in the context of an unprecedented political and diplomatic crisis between the two countries.

The correspondent of a French newspaper in Algeria confirmed to “Echorouk” that he had proposed preparing an article about the draft law criminalizing French colonialism in Algeria, after the project had made significant progress towards its formalization.

However, he did not receive a positive response from the officials of the same newspaper, a stance that the journalist could not explain, given the ideas promoted by the French, which have become subject to doubt regarding the sanctity of freedom of expression in France.

The French media arsenal has correspondents in Algeria, and French newspapers and television channels usually send special envoys when there are issues requiring coverage in Algeria. However, an issue involving a great deal of sensitivity, such as the criminalization of French colonialism in Algeria, was met with a strange stance, which indicates the possibility of political directives that go beyond considerations of freedom of expression and the press.

The same source expressed surprise at the French media outlets, both public and private, not dealing with what he described as “the big event,” especially since the French attach great importance to the memory file when it comes to Algeria, as it is one of the controversial topics that creates political and media debate in France.

The journalist also failed to provide an explanation for this, as this fact contradicts the principle of freedom of expression, which French authorities usually employ in their political disputes with countries with which they have disagreements.

The law criminalizing colonialism constitutes a central event in the memory struggle between Algeria and France. It establishes a new phase unlike the previous one, and it opens the way for other countries that suffered from brutal French colonialism, especially in Africa, where many of its victims are, to follow Algeria’s example, which is what France fears.

The National People’s Assembly will begin discussing the proposed law criminalizing French colonialism in Algeria next Sunday, December 21, with ratification scheduled for Wednesday, December 24. All indications suggest that this long-awaited draft law will finally see the light, given the political will of the Algerian authorities.

Algerian deputies have tried for years to enact a law criminalizing the heinous French colonial practices in Algeria on more than one occasion. These attempts began after the French Parliament (the lower house) enacted a law glorifying colonial practices in Algeria in 2005, and again in 2008. However, the lack of political will prevented this from happening.