The Pro-Algerian French Camp Goes On A Counter-Offensive

The French camp that refuses to harm Algeria and drag it into the heated political debates related to the upcoming presidential elections has mobilized, emerging strongly to correct this discourse that figures of the Right and Far-Right are trying to establish, believing it contributes to winning more points in their favor.

Among the personalities who jumped to the forefront to confront the racist Right-wing discourse hostile to Algeria are the candidate (for the primaries) within the Socialist Party for the French presidential elections, Ms. Ségolène Royal, and the Rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, Mr. Chems-eddine Hafiz, who warned against being led by the provocative racist discourse toward Algeria as well as the Muslim community.

Ms. Ségolène Royal was subjected to a systematic campaign by some Far-Right figures and was accused of being Algeria’s candidate in the upcoming French presidential elections, as stated by Sarah Knafo, the second figure in the “Reconquête” party founded by Far-Right Eric Zemmour, who accused Ms. Royal of being submissive to Algeria.

Ms. Ségolène Royal responded heavily to Sarah Knafo, saying mockingly: “If I am the candidate of submission to Algeria, then is the Pope, who visited Algeria, also submissive to Algeria?”. Ms. Royal added on a talk show on the “BFMTV” news channel on Monday: “A few days ago, the German Foreign Minister was in Algeria to search for gas. Is Germany also submissive to Algeria?”

The former Socialist candidate for the French presidential elections warned that continuing to antagonize Algeria will lead to France losing its manifold interests in this country, which is witnessing a rush from major powers. She pointed in this regard to both the United States and Germany, which recently signed an agreement to produce and import green hydrogen from Algeria.

The president of the “France-Algerie Association” explained in this regard: “I am in contact with the Franco-Algerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and French industrialists are in a state of despair,” due to the repercussions of the political and diplomatic crisis between Algeria and Paris. She noted here the continued closure of the “Renault” factory in Oran, as well as the difficulties suffered by French agricultural exports in Algeria.

Ms. Ségolène Royal also drew the attention of the French people to the fact that “all countries bordering the Mediterranean are in agreement with Algeria, except for France.” She attributed this to the inability of some French people to get rid of the colonial past complex: “Because we are still under the weight of the colonial past, revenge, and political manipulation by people who do not know this country, which is witnessing remarkable development.”

In a related context, the Rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, Mr. Chems-eddine Hafiz, expressed his strong condemnation of the maneuvers carried out by the Far-Right party “Rassemblement National,” which targets the Muslim community in France exclusively, following the proposal by this Islamophobia-obsessed party of a law that fines women who wear the Islamic hijab in public places in France, in an attempt to achieve electoral gains.

Mr. Chems-eddine Hafiz described the legal proposal on a talk show for the public radio “France Inter” as “unjust,” while facing the Far-Right deputy, Philippe Tanguy, the author of the proposal. The Rector of the Paris Mosque said the project aims to punish “the French Muslim woman who asked for nothing, committed no mistake, claimed nothing, and imposed nothing.”

The Rector of the Paris Grand Mosque, who has a legal background (lawyer), confronted the Right-wing deputy Philippe Tanguy with the illegality of the legal proposal, addressing him by saying that “what he has done is unconstitutional,” because, as Mr. Chems-eddine Hafiz said, it simply raises the question of justice between different religions in France.

He explained: “You said that this law will not include the kippah (Jewish), nor Christian nuns. In this case, what will we do with our motto, Liberty, Equality, Fraternity?”

The Rector of the Paris Grand Mosque considered that the proposal, if adopted, remains unenforceable, and wondered: “How will a police officer be able to issue a penalty and distinguish between a religious and non-religious veil?”, while warning at the same time of the Muslim community’s response to such provocations in the upcoming presidential elections.

Mr. Chems-eddine Hafiz had called in statements a few days ago on the French to exclude Algeria and the Muslim community in France from political debates, because that affects the harmony of French society and violates the principles of citizenship.