Influencer Doualemn arrested pending his deportation to Algeria
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The influencer was detained by French authorities in Montpellier for posting a controversial video on TikTok.
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Algerian influencer Doualemn arrives at the Montpellier court (Hérault), on February 24, 2025 (AFP)
Algerian influencer "Doualemn", 59, has been detained in Montpellier and will be deported from French territory to his native country, a BFMTV report revealed, as confirmed by Le Parisien.
France had attempted to deport Boualem Naman, known as "Doualemn" on social media, in early January, but Algeria refused to allow him entry into its territory.
Following the annulment of his obligation to leave French territory (OQTF), the Hérault Deportation Commission (Comex) ruled in favor of his deportation on March 12.
The influencer was detained by French authorities in Montpellier for posting a controversial video on TikTok. He was initially deported to Algeria on Thursday, according to his lawyer, but was quickly returned to France the same evening as Algeria refused to allow his entry.
Border police apprehended him at 6:30 am and sent him to the Administrative Detention Center (CRA) in Nîmes, according to the Interior Minister's entourage.
According to Emilie Brum, his lawyer, and Jean-Baptiste Mousset, Doualem Naman was detained at dawn at his daughter's home in the town of Hérault, "by around twenty police officers and in the presence of his grandchildren."
Brum noted that "Mr. Retailleau seems to have made his arrest a personal matter," detailing how he had not received a copy of the expulsion order.
"Doualemn" must be deported via the "normal process" rather than the emergency approach utilized in January, Le Parisien wrote. It remains to be seen if Algeria would agree to admit its national, who has 138,000 followers on TikTok.
This arrest marks a new chapter in the increasing tensions between France and Algeria.
Several Algerian celebrities have been imprisoned since the beginning of the year.
In January, Algeria rejected France's claims of escalating tensions, accusing the French extreme right of launching a "campaign of disinformation" amid their diplomatic dispute over Doualemn's deportation.
The Algerian Foreign Ministry stated, "Algeria is in no way engaged in a logic of escalation... or humiliation" and criticized France's accusations.
France's Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau accused Algeria of attempting to humiliate France, while Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot warned of possible visa restrictions or aid cuts, stating, "France would have 'no option but to retaliate' if 'the Algerians continue to escalate' the row."
Algeria responded, stating that its decision was "motivated by the desire to allow him to respond to the accusations brought against him, to assert his rights and to defend himself within the framework of a fair and equitable judicial process on French territory."
The diplomatic tensions are further compounded by the detention of Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in Algeria on national security charges.
