France faces pressure at home to admit 1945 colonial massacre of Algerians
- On May 8, 1945, French colonial forces violently suppressed demonstrations in Sétif and nearby Algerian towns, killing tens of thousands of civilians.
- The protests arose as Algerians expressed demands for France to fulfill its independence promises after supporting France during World War II.
- French forces used brutal methods such as mass executions and burning civilians alive during a crackdown that lasted over 40 days across eastern and western Algeria.
- Algerian authorities estimate 45,000 killed, while French figures cite around 3,000, with President Tebboune affirming the massacres as a crime against humanity and a source of national memory.
- The events intensified Algerian resolve, fueling the struggle that led to independence in 1962, while diplomatic tensions persist as France has yet to fully acknowledge responsibility.
28 Articles
28 Articles
While France celebrates liberation, Algeria recalls the massacres of Sétif and Guelma.
Algeria Remembers Colonial-Era Massacres Perpetrated by French Troops
As Europe marks the 80th anniversary of its victory over fascism, Algeria reflects on a tragic parallel anniversary—the May 8, 1945 massacres, when French colonial forces violently crushed Algerian independence protests. Commemorations in Guelma, Kherrata, and Setif, the cities most affected by the massacres, honored the thousands of Algerians killed in air and ground offensives. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune framed the event as a key moment in…
On May 8, 1945, the day of the Armistice of the Second World War, it was also the date of the massacre of Sétif, in French Algeria at the time, perpetrated by the authorities against independent demonstrators.
Algeria Remembers Colonial-Era Massacres Perpetrated by French Troops - teleSUR English
AlAs Europe marks the 80th anniversary of its victory over fascism, Algeria reflects on a tragic parallel anniversary—the May 8, 1945 massacres, when French colonial forces violently crushed Algerian independence protests. Commemorations in Guelma, Kherrata, and Setif, the cities most affected by the massacres, honored the thousands of Algerians killed in air and ground offensives. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune framed the event as a key moment …
France faces pressure at home to admit 1945 colonial massacre of Algerians
As France and Europe mark 80 years since the Allied victory against Nazi Germany, Algeria is remembering another chapter of 1945 – the massacre of thousands of Algerians by French colonial forces, an event many see as the start of the Algerian independence struggle.

As Europe celebrates the triumph of V-E Day, Algeria marks parallel legacy of colonial-era massacres
ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — As Europe celebrates the 80th anniversary of its triumph over fascism and the end of World War II, Algeria is remembering a darker anniversary: the colonial-era massacres that erupted the same day.
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