Macron Underwhelmingly Condemns Paris Massacre of Algerians
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An underwhelming condemnation of the massacre was issued by a written statement: No official apology nor a public speech.
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Graffiti over the River Seine, where the French killed Algerian protestors, reading "We drowned the Algerians here."
France finally recognized its crime against Algerians committed in Paris during a 1961 protest, after covering it up and underreporting it for decades.
The 'recognition' came in the form of 'condemnation' by French President Macron, who decried the massacre as "inexcusable." However, this 'condemnation' did not satisfy activists, as they had hoped for an even stronger recognition of responsibility.
After 60 years of covering up the massacre's scale, Macron told relatives of victims on the anniversary that "crimes" were committed on the night of October 17, 1961, under the command of notorious Paris police chief Maurice Papon.
The French president paid tribute to the memory after acknowledging that dozens of protestors had been killed, "their bodies thrown into the River Seine."
Macron "recognized that the crimes committed that night under Maurice Papon are inexcusable for the Republic," Elysee said. "This tragedy was long hushed-up, denied or concealed," it added in a statement.
The police crackdown and subsequent killing of dozens of protestors came during a rally called as France was violently attempting to force Algeria to become a north African colony. The French attempts were seeing an increase in violence, as they brutally killed Algerians and subjected them to several forms of human rights abuses and war crimes.
The man supervising the massacre, Papon, was revealed to have been a collaborator with the Nazis in WWII. He was convicted of crimes against humanity; however, he was later released.
The French condemnation of the crime comes at a time of high tension in the relations between Paris and Algiers, which is due to several reasons; from Macron questioning whether Algeria existed prior to French colonization to Paris halving the number of visas granted to Algerians.
Macron was the first French president to attend a memorial ceremony for the victims, a step that Paris could see as a means of easing tensions with Algeria. The president observed a minute of silence in the memory of the victims at the Bezons bridge over the Seine river, where the victims' bodies were thrown after being brutally murdered.
Macron's step was seen as 'disappointing,' as he did not issue a formal apology, nor did he give a public speech, with the Elysee only issuing the written statement.
The president could have taken this step as a strategic one, as he is wary of criticism from political opponents, such as the criticism he faced upon apologizing on behalf of his country over the assassination of Algerian freedom fighter Ali Boumendjel, decades after France killed him and covered up its crime.
