Journalist resigns after describing French crimes in Algeria as 'Nazi'
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Jean-Michel Aphatie equated France's atrocities in Algeria with those committed by Nazi Germany in occupied France.
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Journalist Jean Michel Aphatie during a television broadcast (Undated, AFP)
A famous French journalist announced Sunday that he was leaving his position as an expert commentator for RTL after sparking outrage by equating French acts under colonial control in Algeria to a World War II slaughter carried out by Nazi forces in occupied France.
Jean-Michel Aphatie, a veteran reporter and broadcaster, emphasized that while he will not be returning to his job, he stands by the statements he made on the radio station in late February, in which he equated France's atrocities in Algeria with those committed by Nazi Germany in occupied France.
In an X post, the journalist emphasized he would not return to the channel after he was suspended for a week.
Je ne reviendrai pas à RTL. C’est ma décision. Voici pourquoi.
— jean-michel aphatie (@jmaphatie) March 9, 2025
Il y a quinze jours, mes propos sur la colonisation algérienne ont créé le débat. La direction de la radio m’a dit avoir enregistré de nombreuses protestations de la part des auditeurs. Pour faire droit à l’émotion… pic.twitter.com/q8cE7M7Rok
On February 25, he stated on air, "Every year in France, we commemorate what happened in Oradour-sur-Glane -- the massacre of an entire village. But we have committed hundreds of these in Algeria. Are we aware of this?"
He was alluding to the town of Oradour-sur-Glane, where an SS battalion retreating from the battle in Normandy slaughtered 642 people on June 10, 1944. The community was never restored, leaving only a frightening reminder for future generations.
When asked by the anchor whether "we (the French) behaved like the Nazis," Aphatie said, "The Nazis behaved like us."
On X, he acknowledged his comments had created a "debate" but said it was of great importance to understand the full story over France's 1830-1962 colonization of Algeria, saying he was "horrified" by what he had read in history books.
Every year, voices in Algeria call on France to acknowledge and apologize for its colonial past in the North African country.
Algerians accuse France of committing acts of looting, torture, murder, and conducting nuclear tests during its colonial rule.
France occupied Algeria for 132 years, from July 5, 1830, to July 5, 1962, when Algeria declared its independence.
The struggle for independence claimed the lives of over 1.5 million Algerians, with hundreds of thousands more injured, missing, or displaced.
Algerians accuse France of attempting to erase their cultural identity by attacking mosques and religious schools.
In 1836, France established its first Catholic missionary school in Algeria.
Additionally, discriminatory laws were enacted, allowing colonizers to seize Algerian land.
Skulls of fighters
The French colonial regime faced fierce resistance from the Algerians, which was met with brutal retaliation.
In 1880-1881, France took the skulls of 37 resistance fighters, which are now kept at the Museum of Mankind in Paris.
In 2020, Algeria repatriated the skulls of 24 resistance fighters who had been decapitated during France’s colonial occupation of the country.
The skulls were discovered in 2011 by Algerian historian Ali Farid Belkadi at the Museum of Man in Paris, situated near the Eiffel Tower. Upon his discovery, Belkadi informed Algerian authorities and began advocating for their return.
After years of lobbying, Algeria’s then-President Abdelaziz Bouteflika formally requested the skulls' repatriation. French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to the request in 2018, but bureaucratic challenges delayed the process until 2020.
May 8 massacre
On May 8, 1945, thousands of Algerians took to the streets to celebrate the Allied victory over Nazi Germany and to demand independence from France. However, the celebrations turned violent when French forces opened fire on protesters, resulting in an estimated 45,000 deaths.
1.5 million martyrs
Over 1.5 million Algerians were martyred during the fight for independence. Other estimates suggest the death toll during French rule could exceed 10 million.
In 2017, the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights, a local NGO, put the number of victims under French colonial rule at over 10 million.
The Seine massacre
On October 17, 1961, tens of thousands of Algerians protested in Paris against French occupation. French police opened fire on demonstrators, killing an estimated 345 people.
Nuclear tests
Between 1960 and 1966, France conducted 17 nuclear tests in Algeria’s desert, according to French officials. However, Algerian historians believe the number of tests was 57.
The first test, code-named “Gerboise Bleue", took place on February 13, 1960, in the Sahara Desert, southwest of Algeria.
These nuclear tests are believed to have caused the deaths of around 42,000 Algerians and left many others with injuries due to radiation. They also caused extensive environmental damage.
French colonial authorities are accused of committing acts of abuse and torture against Algerian civilians. Methods of torture included electric shocks and the use of water wells as makeshift prisons.
The issue of Algeria’s national archives remains a contentious topic between the two nations. Algeria has called for the return of thousands of cultural artifacts, books, and maps, but France has refused to comply.
