In an interview with Figarothe essayist Ronan Planchon highlights the influence strategies deployed by the Algerian state in France, in particular within the political left. According to him, Algiers exploits ideological and community relays to extend its grip on French public debate, in particular on sensitive subjects such as Western Sahara, colonial memory and migration policy.
Planchon underlines that figures of the French left, especially within rebellious France (LFI), adopt positions aligned on Algerian interests. For example, the leader of LFI deputies, Mathilde Panot, refrained from supporting a resolution of the European Parliament condemning the arrest of the Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, imprisoned in Algeria since November 2024. This abstention has aroused a lively controversy, some seeing a complacency towards the Algerian regime.
The Algerian state is not content to influence political debates; He also intervenes in the French electoral process. In June 2024, the rector of the Great Mosque of Paris, Chems-Eddine Hafiz, called on the Muslims of France to vote for specific candidates during the legislative elections, favorable to Algerian positions. This interference has been widely criticized as an attack on French sovereignty.
According to Planchon, Algeria uses a combination of community networks, political relays and media figures to disseminate its narrative in France. This strategy aims to strengthen its influence on key subjects and to weigh on French political decisions. The left, in particular, seems to be a privileged target because of its historical positions on decolonization and international solidarity.
Faced with these interference, some call for increased vigilance and clarification of political positions. The question of foreign influence on French politics is becoming more and more pressing, in particular with the approach of the presidential elections of 2027. It is essential that French political parties assess their relations with foreign regimes and ensure that their positions reflect national interests rather than external influences.
