Overview

• A cross-party group of over a dozen French deputies traveled to Sétif, Algeria, to mark the 80th anniversary of the May 8, 1945 massacres, viewed as a precursor to Algeria's independence struggle.
• The delegation laid a wreath at the memorial of Saâl Bouzid, the first victim killed by French colonial police for raising an Algerian flag during the demonstrations.
• Deputies Sabrina Sebaihi and Danielle Simonnet publicly called on President Macron to formally recognize the massacres as crimes of state, emphasizing the need for historical accountability.
• The massacres, which resulted in thousands of deaths, remain a contentious issue, with casualty estimates ranging from 1,500–20,000 according to French sources to 45,000 according to Algerian accounts.
• Franco-Algerian relations remain strained due to recent diplomatic disputes, including expulsions of Algerians from France and the detention of Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in Algiers.