Algeria’s parliament backed a bill demanding France apologize and pay reparations for its 130-year occupation of the North African country, likely escalating a simmering feud with Paris.
Lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favor of the legislation that declares French colonialism a “state crime” and holds the country responsible for “war crimes and crimes against humanity” during its 1830-1962 rule. It also makes any “glorification” of the period an offense.
The step comes as Algerian-French relations plumb their lowest point in decades, after President Emmanuel Macron last year supported neighboring Morocco’s rule over the disputed Western Sahara. That riled Algeria, which hosts a group waging a half-century battle for the territory’s independence.
Similar Algerian legislation was first proposed in 1984, and then several times this millennium when ties with Paris have been at a low ebb. It has never previously advanced through the lower chamber, and still needs approval from the upper house and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to become law.
Despite oft-testy exchanges on issues of migration and history, the two nations maintain significant trade links. Algeria supplies some of France’s liquefied natural gas needs, while TotalEnergies SE is a partner in oil projects in the OPEC member.
The text of the bill comprises more than two-dozen articles, one of which classifies 27 forms of crimes related to French colonialism that include military attacks against civilians, excessive use of armed force and using unconventional weapons.
Another article demands France clean up sites contaminated by nuclear testing in Algeria’s southern desert in the 1960s and provide maps of the affected areas, as well as compensation for victims of the tests and their beneficiaries. It also calls for the restitution of “tangible” and “intangible” property, including national archives.
The bill criminalizes what it calls glorification of French colonialism in any form — including acts, writing and videos — and would impose a prison term of as long as 10 years and a fine of as much as 1 million dinars ($7,720) for those found guilty. It doesn’t precisely define what would count as glorifying.
The bill “is not directed against any people, nor does it seek revenge or fuel hatred,” the head of parliament, Ibrahim Boughali, told the chamber earlier this month. “Rather, it is based on the established principle that crimes against humanity cannot be erased by the passage of time, justified by force or silenced.”
