Long ignored, the Algerian diaspora in France is now entitled to the best respect on the other side of the Mediterranean. A weakened president at the head of a country in difficulty, “Uncle Tebboune” – as he is affectionately nicknamed by his supporters – sees in this community of 2.6 million people, including 815,000 registered on the electoral lists, a means of consolidating its power as well as an instrument of destabilization of the former colonizing country.
In recent weeks, the cascade of arrests of several Algerian influencers on our soil have highlighted the vitality of the Algerian regime's relays of influence – without there being any direct link proven by the authorities between them. The JDD obtained a recent note from the National Directorate of Territorial Intelligence (DNRT) which details Algiers' strategy of influence in France.
Conquer minds
First observation of the DNRT: the coming to power of Abdelmadjid Tebboune in 2019 marks a tipping point. Very quickly, French intelligence identified several individuals who could be considered emissaries of Algiers. Until then, the note states, “the community mobilized mainly on questions of Algerian internal politics and the colonial period”, without excessive demands.
The change really comes as the Algerian legislative elections approach in June 2021. In March of the same year, Abdelmadjid Tebboune launched the National Observatory of Civil Society (ONSC), an organization aiming to bring the voice of power to the diaspora. The results are disappointing: despite the means deployed to attract the Algerian community, the three elected deputies are all from the opposition.
But the Algerian government has resources. Failing to conquer the ballot boxes, he tries to conquer minds by strongly pushing certain subjects. Like France's recognition of the “Moroccanness” of Western Sahara. This French position favorable to Morocco intensely mobilizes the relays of influence of Algiers present on our soil, regularly drawing a parallel with the colonization of Palestine. At the forefront of this subject, the Dynamic Movement of Algerians of France (Moudaf), whose founder Nasser Khabat is himself a member of the ONSC, occasionally organizes operations in favor of Sahrawi independence activists.
The rest after this ad
-Strategy for taking control of town halls
Another subject regularly used by Algiers: the restitution of objects that belonged to Emir Abdelkader. “Such an approach is likely to strengthen mutuality in a country [la France, NDLR] which is struggling to integrate its foreign or immigrant population, particularly Algerians, against a backdrop of resentment fueled by memorial rent”underlines the note. But relaying the priorities of the Algerian presidency to the diaspora are not limited to influencers or community activists. The DNRT also points to a strategy of taking control of town halls and representative bodies.
The case of Rachid A. is particularly eloquent. This occupational doctor at Paris town hall regularly speaks in the Algerian media. “Among its priorities is the control of more French town halls, of which a list has been drawn up, but also of part of the National Council of the Order of Physicians”specifies the document. Objective: guide France's major decisions so that they are favorable to Algeria. The Grand Mosque of Paris is not to be outdone.
During the presidential election of September 2024, its rector, Chems-Eddine Mohamed Hafiz, was appointed coordinator in France of Mr. Tebboune's campaign. For the DNRT, the involvement of this religious institution, directly or through ad hoc structures, demonstrates “an intensification of the Algerian power’s strategy of influence and constitutes a new chapter in its implementation.”
France
Related News :