Algeria honour massacre victims with River Seine tribute

Members of the Algerian delegation tossed roses into the River Seine. GETTY IMAGES

During the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Friday, members of the Algerian delegation tossed roses into the River Seine to honour the victims of the brutal crackdown on independence protesters in Paris in 1961.

On October 17, 1961, French security forces responded with lethal force against Algerian demonstrators advocating for independence from France, their colonial ruler. Historical estimates suggest that between 30 and 200 protesters were killed, with their bodies reportedly thrown into the Seine.

“This action is a hommage to the martyrs of October 17, 1961,” a member of the Algerian delegation stated in a video shared on the X social media platform by a public Algerian television network. “Long live Algeria!”

Kaci Yahia, an Algerian employed in the Paris sewage system, was among the victims. His body was never found. His 28-year-old grandson, Yanis, who was watching from Algeria, expressed his appreciation for the tribute by the Algerian delegation on Friday.

“To make such a gesture, the day of the opening of the Olympics in Paris, is a monumental homage to the victims of Oct. 17. It’s a moment of immense emotion,’’ he said. Earlier this year, the French parliament passed a bill condemning the “massacre.”

Former President Francois Hollande acknowledged the “bloody repression” during his term in 2012, while President Emmanuel Macron in 2021 labeled the “crimes” as “inexcusable.” France began its colonisation of Algeria in 1830, and Algeria achieved independence in 1962.



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