Algeria Declares French Colonisation a Crime, Demands Apology and Reparations

Algeria’s parliament has unanimously passed a law declaring France’s colonisation a crime, demanding an apology and full reparations. The law cites nuclear tests, killings, torture, and resource plundering, reaffirming Algeria’s right to compensation. France’s colonial rule from 1830 to 1962, including the war of independence, remains a source of historical tension.

Algeria’s parliament has unanimously approved a law declaring France’s colonisation of the country a crime, while also demanding an official apology and reparations from the French government. During the parliamentary session, lawmakers wearing scarves in the national flag’s colors stood in the chamber, chanting “long live Algeria” and applauding the passage of the bill. The legislation explicitly holds France legally responsible for its colonial past in Algeria and the tragedies that resulted from it.
Parliament Speaker Brahim Boughali told the APS state news agency prior to the vote that the law was intended to send a clear message both domestically and internationally, emphasizing that Algeria’s national memory is neither erasable nor negotiable. The law lists specific “crimes of French colonisation,” which include nuclear tests conducted on Algerian soil, extrajudicial killings, acts of physical and psychological torture, and the systematic plundering of the country’s natural and economic resources.
The legislation further declares that “full and fair compensation for all material and moral damages caused by French colonisation is an inalienable right of the Algerian state and people.” France’s colonial rule over Algeria, lasting from 1830 until 1962, remains a deeply sensitive issue in the relationship between the two nations. The period was marked by widespread violence, mass killings, and large-scale deportations, culminating in the Algerian War of Independence from 1954 to 1962. According to Algerian sources, the war resulted in the deaths of approximately 1.5 million people, though French historians estimate the total death toll at around 500,000, including 400,000 Algerians.
French President Emmanuel Macron has previously acknowledged the colonisation of Algeria as a “crime against humanity,” but he has not issued a formal apology, leaving a persistent tension between the two countries over historical accountability and the call for reparations. The new legislation is seen by Algerian lawmakers as a reaffirmation of national dignity and a step toward holding France accountable for its colonial legacy.