Xavier Driencourt: A Dangerous Escalation in the Memory File… No Truce Before 2027
Former French Ambassador to Algeria, Xavier Driencourt, warned of the repercussions of recent developments in Algerian-French relations on several highly sensitive issues for French authorities, most notably the case of French journalist Christophe Gleizes, who is serving a seven-year prison sentence for supporting and praising terrorism.
In an article published Wednesday in the “Nouvelle Revue Politique”, run by Arnaud Benedetti, a prominent figure in the far-right movement that led the campaign to support Boualem Sansal, the retired French diplomat, Xavier Driencourt, acknowledged that relations between Algeria and Paris have deteriorated further than ever before, entering a multifaceted crisis that could end before 2027, the year French President Emmanuel Macron’s term will end.
Driencourt, who served two terms as his country’s ambassador to Algeria (2008-2012 and 2017-2020) and has become an expert on Algerian-French relations, stated that “punishing Paris” for its repeated targeting of Algerian interests has become an urgent demand in the eyes of Algerians, predicting further tension in bilateral relations.
The author of “France-Algerie: Le double aveuglement (France-Algeria: The double blindness) explained that the first casualty of the recent escalation will be the French journalist, Christophe Gleizes, because French demands, particularly the pleas from his mother for clemency for her son, will be met with firm rejection from the Algerian authorities, which will not make any concessions on this issue.
The former diplomat considered the bill to criminalise French colonialism in Algeria, currently under consideration by the National People’s Assembly (the lower house of parliament), a significant escalation in the Algerian struggle over historical memory. This issue, he argued, will unite Algerians while simultaneously angering French authorities, who had previously done everything in their power to prevent the bill from becoming law.
In his article, Driencourt wrote: “The draft to criminalise colonialism will provoke Paris by reviving an old issue, one previously raised in 2010 by Abdelaziz Belkhadem, the hardline Secretary General of the National Liberation Front, when he proposed a text criminalising French colonialism and demanding reparations.”
He explained how the late President Abdelaziz Bouteflika dealt with the project: “I remember that it took President Bouteflika great skill to defuse the situation, as he didn’t want to be the one to declare war on the issue of historical memory with the French authorities.” He considered the organisation of a conference on criminalising French colonialism in Africa at the end of last month an indication of the Algerian authorities’ intention to pursue this matter further.
According to the former French ambassador to Algeria, Algerian anger towards Paris “will not be limited to the draft law criminalising colonialism.” He indicated that “behind this moral stance lies the goal of obtaining financial compensation from Paris, particularly concerning the French nuclear tests conducted in southern Algeria,” which continue to kill humans and animals and destroy nature. In contrast, Paris continues to refuse to acknowledge any responsibility.
According to the retired diplomat, the Algerian authorities’ move to enact a law criminalising French colonialism in Algeria is not simply about “keeping the thorny issue of French colonialism aside, hoping to find supporters for this attack within the French political class… This will enable them to continue pressuring Paris until at least 2027.”
It should be noted that many political figures in France, particularly those on the left, support the Algerian demands for a French apology for its crimes in Algeria.