France’s “Degrading treatment” of Algerians at airports sours ties

State newspapers reported that border authorities intentionally closed all visa windows except one upon the arrival of Algerian passengers, causing extreme delays.

Travelers had to wait “longer than the duration of their flight” to have their passports stamped. They were also subject to an inordinate amount of security checks, which, according to Watan News, some have described as “collective punishment” aimed at humiliating them.

All this comes amid the growing condemnation in Algeria of the French right-wing and their rally against migration. The party has time and again expressed hostility towards France’s non-white and Muslim population in what can be interpreted as an effort to mobilize voters by playing into racist reflexes.

Algerian press reports were quick implicate Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau personally, labeling him “vindictive.”

However, these provocations met sharp rebukes from French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who denied any intentionality and stated that opposing France has become “a matter of domestic politics” in Algeria.

But understanding Algerian indignance necessitates a look at the long and bloody history that forms the basis of Franco-Algerian relations. A French colony until 1962—132 years—Algeria was dubbed “the country of martyrs” across the Arab world, as the resistance movement cost an estimated one million Algerian lives.

Now, relations have further soured due to Macron’s pivot in mid-2024 to support Morocco’s claim on the long-contested Western Sahara. In the face of Algerian support for the territory’s independence, the move was regarded as yet another instance of colonial meddling in the region—sentiments exacerbated by Paris’ outright refusal to recognize its historical grievances, which continue to mar Algerians today.

Anadolu Ajansı, Watan News