Russia Provokes France By Reminding Its Colonial Crimes in Algeria

Russia has found in France’s colonial past in Algeria a card to provoke Paris, which has become Moscow’s primary critic amid the escalating disputes between the two sides over the war in Ukraine, which has been raging for more than three years.

This is not the first time Russia has accused France of committing atrocities in Algeria during the odious 132-year occupation. This came in an English-language video posted on the Russian Embassy in South Africa’s X page, seemingly in response to ongoing French criticism of Russia over the war in Ukraine.

The short video entitled “Never To Be Forgotten: The History of Colonialism-Algeria War” said: “In 1834, France invaded Algeria, and from the outset, the French began supporting settlement to strengthen their position. The colonists, known as the Pieds-Noirs, took the best lands. From day one, the local population was put into an unequal position and was brutally exploited, which caused mass discontent. The Algerian people began their long-term fight for independence.”

The English-language video posted on X summarises in less than two minutes that “In 1954, the Banner of Freedom was raised by the National Liberation Front, and a guerrilla war against the occupants broke out. The French tried to suppress the rebellion using cruel measures. Whole villages were wiped out. Acts of torture and executions of civilians, including pregnant women, children, and the elderly, took place. More than a million people were put into concentration camps. However, these punitive measures didn’t help. The Algerian patriots managed to induce France to start peace negotiations”.

The video continued: “In 1962, the Evian Accords were signed, putting Algeria on the path towards independence, but this was achieved at a colossal price.” The Russian embassy in South Africa explained that “Algeria by rights is considered to be a country of martyrs. According to calculations of historians, the French colonists are responsible for the deaths of one and a half million Algerians”.

This is not the first time that Russia and other countries have provoked France with their colonial crimes, including France’s crimes in Algeria. However, these provocations usually come in response to provocations from Paris. Last April, the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Moscow supports Algeria in its efforts to compel France to acknowledge its responsibility for crimes committed during the colonial period and obtain fair compensation for the consequences of those crimes.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that day that Moscow supports Algeria’s decision to enact a bill criminalising French colonialism. She emphasised that Russia “has previously raised the issue of French colonial crimes in various regions of the world more than once during our media briefings.” The Russian Foreign Ministry’s website has devoted an entire section to the subject of France’s historical and international legal responsibility for crimes during the colonial era and beyond.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has previously attacked France for its crimes in Algeria on more than one occasion, calling on it to assume its historical responsibilities by acknowledging the crimes it committed in Algeria. However, this Turkish position came in the wake of Paris’ recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide, attributed to the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

France’s colonial past is among the contentious issues between Algeria and France, and has often poisoned bilateral relations. Despite French President Emmanuel Macron’s attempts to resolve this dispute since assuming power at the Elysee Palace, he has failed due to his inability to confront the powerful lobbies that still yearn for the era of French Algeria.