Racism Towards Algeria Explodes Rifts in the French Right

Xavier Bertrand, a leader in the French right-wing party “Les Republicains” and president of the French region, Les Hauts-de-France, criticized, on the social network “X”, the position expressed by the party’s leader, Eric Ciotti, which included racist, anti-Algerian overtones like “delinquents, criminals, clandestine migrants”, in response to Algeria’s demand to restitute its looted property during the era of the French occupation of Algeria from 1830 and 1962.

Xavier Bertrand strongly attacked the head of his party’s statement, considering it a contradiction to the history and values of the “Republicans” in France, the traditional right-wing movement presented as the conventional heir to the legacy of the French general, Charles de Gaulle. However, this party deviated from this line and became very close to the extreme right, which is represented by the political family of Jean-Marie Le Pen.

The president of the Hauts-de-France province posted Thursday on “X”: “I strongly condemn this tweet, which does not reflect the values or history of the Republicans. No electoral calculations allow us to insult a country and its people, whatever the differences between us. I request the withdrawal of this unworthy tweet which damages the beautiful campaign led by fx Bellamy”, in a clear and frank challenge to the head of the “Republicans” party, Eric Ciotti, who is known to be close to the former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy.

The reason that aroused the anger of a large group of French politicians, whether from the right or the left wings, was the statement issued by the LR party which said: “A message of service to Algeria. We must restitute everything, the good and the bad: criminals, delinquents, illegal immigrants, OQTF (those who have been ordered to leave the French territory).”

As for the tweet of the leader of the “Republicans”, Eric Ciotti, he said: “Let us also send to Algeria a list of delinquents who must be returned to their homeland,” referring to the expulsion of some migrants of Algerian origins who committed acts in violation of French law, although they were born and raised on French soil and grew up in the French society they suffer from racism and discrimination practised by the French state, its institutions, media and administration like other French people of non-French origins.

The anger of the French political class towards Eric Ciotti did not stop with Xavier Bertrand’s rebellion against the leadership of his party. Rather, it extended to the leader of the French Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, who tweeted on his account in “X” saying: “This is how a serious subject, that of the restitution of property resulting from colonization becomes a message that aims to incite hatred in a beautiful combination.”

The outrage of the right-wing party and its leader came in the wake of Algeria submitting an open list of its possessions, which were described as having symbolic connotations like artefacts preserved in French museums, to be retrieved within the mission of the Algerian-French Commission for History and Memory.

The mixed Algerian-French commission said, last week, that it “hopes that concrete actions are being achieved to reflect the true will to address all dimensions of the colonial phase to look to the future.”

The commission also expressed its hope that “the treatment of the memory file will live up to what the Algerian and French people aspire to,” following its last meeting held in Algeria between May 20 and 24, which coincided with “the celebration of the National Memory Month” in Algeria.