Zazou Youcef, the Algerian influencer on Tik Tok recently arrested in France, risks spending several years in prison for not having understood, on the one hand, that political opposition is not a betrayal of his country and, on the other hand, on the other hand, that calling for murder is an offense condemned by law both in France and in Algeria.
Lahouari Addi *
Zazou in Algerian dialect Arabic designates someone who pays attention to his appearance, his clothes and his slicked back hair which he makes shine to please the fairer sex. He wanders around the neighborhood to get noticed, often whistling, seeking to arouse admiration. He likes to hear: “Here’s the shit that’s coming”.
The Algerian zazou is the equivalent of the European gigolo attentive to the eyes of others, mainly that of women to whom he promises wonders. He gives no importance to the words he speaks.
It turns out that these days, an Algerian zazou was arrested by the French police in Brest for wanting to get noticed, which he succeeded in doing since he is followed on Tik Tok by tens of thousands of people.
The Zazou of Brest has not carved out a character like Travolta of the 1970s; he did not stage frenetic dances on Tik Tok, nor recited poems for women or shouted his love to one of them. He would not have been arrested for this. He was arrested for calling for the killing of Algerian opponents in France and Algeria. Just that. It’s his way of showing his patriotism and love for his country. The love he has for his country comes through the hatred of some of his compatriots. His culture does not allow him to understand that opposition to the government is not opposition to the country. He believes that criticizing Tebboune is criticizing Algeria.
It is on this culture that the Algerian regime is counting to survive. When a regime loses its social bases, it attracts nauseating clienteles.
However, the Zazou of Brest lives in France where there is an opposition which criticizes Macron from morning to evening without being accused of being hostile to France.
But the drama in all this, and there is a tragedy, is that the Zazou of Brest is a harrag, that is to say a young person who, at the risk of his life, left his country ruined by the regime that he defends on Tik Tok. He calls for the killing of opponents who want to peacefully change the political situation in Algeria so that young people no longer feel the need to leave their country.
The dramatic consequence for Zazou is that he risks spending several years in prison for not having understood, on the one hand, that political opposition is not a betrayal of his country and, on the other hand, that the threat of death (or calling for murder) is an offense condemned by law both in France and in Algeria.
Calling for murder is tantamount to installing civil war in society. The zazou from Brest will justify himself before the judge by saying but these are only words, unaware that words have consequences. Saying is doing.
Zazou is a harrag who was burned in France where he could have lived in anonymity. He preferred the incendiary celebrity who will bring him back to square one with a body worn out in prison and aged by several years. Once in Algeria, will he do the zazou again and will he be tempted by the harga a second time?
* Professor at the Institute of Political Studies at the University of Lyon.
