French President: colonization did not recognize people’s right in self-determination

François Hollande said France needs to look at its past without any complex and fuelling memory war shows that people are still in the past. This comes in response to former French President Nicolas Sarkozy who criticized Holland for be for Algeria’s memory at the expense of France.

March 19th, 1962 is the Victory Day for Algeria while France names it as the National Day of Algeria-Morocco-Tunisia Memory. This date is opposed by Harkis, Pieds-Noirs and right-wing politicians in France who remain against Algeria’s independence.

Holland said any country’s greatness is measured by its capacity of facing its history without hiding any aspect. This memory gives us hope to be together, he told a meeting in Paris on Saturday.

He stressed the necessity of recognizing memory with all its aspects. “Some aspects are still alive. France and Algeria work together to make those victims known,” he said.

« The March 19th date is teh recognition of the memory of all the victims. For France, it is the date when France went out of the crisis. The colonial regime did not recognize people’s right in self-determination,” he added.