“France should recognize the crimes it may have committed during the Algerian War,” says a historian

“For me, as a historian, it is a simple recognition of a reality,” declared, Friday, November 1, on franceinfo Gilles Manceron, historian specializing in Algeria and French colonialism, in reaction to the fact that Emmanuel Macron recognized that the leader of the National Liberation Front (FLN), Larbi Ben M'hidi, had been “assassinated by French soldiers”.

Friday, the Head of State recognized, via a press release, that “Larbi Ben M'hidi, national hero for Algeria and one of the six leaders of the FLN who launched the insurrection of November 1, 1954”, had been “assassinated by French soldiers placed under the command of General Aussaresses”. This recognition took place on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the insurrection of November 1, 1954 which opened the Algerian war.

For Gilles Manceron, this recognition should not be isolated: “France should recognize the crimes it may have committed during this period [la guerre d’Algérie].” “France has a rich history, the colonial phase of this history was marked by crimes”, insists the historian.

Asked what Larbi Ben M'hidi represented, Gilles Manceron replied that it was one of the “main figures of the leaders of the struggle of the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN), of the struggle for the independence of Algeria”. He recalls that “someone like Colonel Bigeard [résistant dont le nom reste associé à la guerre d’Indochine et à celle d’Algérie] said he was impressed by his calm and courage when threatened with execution – which he was – by the French army.

Gilles Manceron emphasizes that “historians have known this for a long time” and that “numerous testimonies have been accumulated on this issue”. Larbi Ben M'hidi “was murdered”recalls the historian, “while the French army and the French state lied for more than 60 years by saying that he had committed suicide.” “It’s the end of a lie.”

Gilles Manceron explains that “historians try to establish the truth.” He doesn't know what it is “Emmanuel Macron’s interest in telling a historical truth at a given moment”but he judges that it would be “normal for the French state to agree with the work of historians and what they say about these facts.” “Perhaps in the mind of Emmanuel Macron, it is part of the diplomacy in the Maghreb that he is establishing with Morocco and Algeria. But for me, as a historian, it is acts of a simple recognition of a reality”, he repeats.