Algeria rejected, on Saturday January 11, the accusations of« escalade » and« humiliation » of France, after the return to Paris of an Algerian influencer expelled to his country by France, and denounced a “disinformation campaign” against Algeria.
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“Algeria is, in no way, engaged in a logic of escalation, one-upmanship or humiliation”affirmed the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release. “The vengeful and hateful extreme right, as well as its certified heralds within the French government, are currently leading a campaign of disinformation, even mystification, against Algeria”it is added.
On Friday, the French Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, said that “Algeria seeks to humiliate France”. “By keeping our cool (…) we must now evaluate all the means at our disposal, vis-à-vis Algeria”he added. France will not have “no other possibility than to retaliate” and “the Algerians continue this posture of escalation”he declared.
Allow “Doualemn” to “respond to the accusations”
“Doualemn”, a 59-year-old influencer, was arrested in Montpellier, in the south of France, after a video on TikToK containing a call for violence and put on a plane Thursday afternoon for Algeria, where he was sent back to France the same evening, Algeria having “inadmissible”according to the Ministry of the Interior.
The Algerian ministry specifies that in the face of what it considers to be “exceedings” and “violations of acquired rights” by this national on French territory, “the Algerian decision in this case is driven by the desire to enable him to respond to the accusations brought against him, to assert his rights and to defend himself within the framework of a fair and equitable judicial process on French territory” .
Furthermore, a “so-called influencer” Franco-Algerian, Sofia Benlemmane, was arrested Thursday January 9 as part of an investigation into hateful videos online. Mme Benlemmane was presented to the prosecutor’s office on Saturday, the Lyon prosecutor’s office and his lawyer told Agence France-Presse, specifying that a hearing will be held on March 18.
