Aymeric Chauprade, French geopolitical scientist and former MEP, ex-advisor to the president of the National Rally (RN), Marine Le Pen, analyzes for Le360 the reasons which push the Algiers regime to interfere, once again, in the internal political affairs of France, in particular via the rector of the great Mosque of Paris, and explains the reasons for the “weakness” and the inaction of the French State in the face of these extremely serious acts.
Le360: the day after the RN’s victory in the European elections, the Algerian president met for two hours with the rector of the Paris Mosque, Chems-Eddine Hafiz, of Algerian origin. The latter gave, on the same day, voting instructions to the Muslim community of France, calling for a barrier to the RN. A reaction?
Aymeric Chauprade: Algeria is once again acting as if it were at home at the Paris Mosque and it unfortunately seems that this is the case. This is unacceptable interference. As for the rector of the great mosque, he should be reminded that he is bound by a certain duty of reserve on the political level. He is asked to take care of the faith of his faithful, not their vote and even less to act as a relay for a foreign government!
“The Algerian regime is a terrorist regime. He showed it at the time of the FIS and the GIA.”
— Aymeric Chauprade
This is not the first time that Algeria has clearly interfered in France’s internal political affairs. Why, in your opinion, are the French authorities not reacting to stop this interference?
The French authorities have shown great weakness towards Algeria, all governments combined and for decades. When we are weak, it is because we are afraid. What? I’m going to say things because many people say it in private but don’t dare say it publicly. The Algerian regime is a terrorist regime. He showed it at the time of the FIS and the GIA. The hand of the Algerian services was behind some of the blind terrorism which struck Algerians at home but also France. Furthermore, when we support a terrorist movement like the Polisario, supported by Hezbollah, Hamas and Ms. Rima Hassan of LFI, we are a terrorist state!
“We have to reset everything with Algiers, do a complete “reset” of the relationship.”
— Aymeric Chauprade
Secondly, the French public authorities are afraid of the conflagration of suburbs in which immigration of Algerian origin is often dominant and controlled by drug trafficking networks. For these two reasons, France has been silent for years. This is unbearable and it must stop.
Why is the arrival of the RN and a right-wing coalition at the gates of power already sowing panic among the Algiers regime?
Because we can hope that the RN would not show the same weakness and that it would put an end to decades of cowardly complacency towards Algiers. We need to reset everything with Algiers, do a complete “reset” of the relationship. The dignitaries of the Algerian regime live on a business which is to attack France and Morocco and accuse them of being the source of all evil. Morocco does not accept this aggressive and infantilizing discourse, but France has shown itself to be resigned and has been taking the blows for years. I know that Marine Le Pen wants this to stop.
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Furthermore, contrary to what some people unfortunately think too often in the Muslim world, Ms. Le Pen is not the enemy of Islam as a religion or of Muslims. Otherwise the RN would not have achieved 52% in the European elections in a department like Mayotte which is overwhelmingly Muslim. Marine Le Pen wants allies in the Muslim world. It distinguishes between Muslim states ruled by moderate Muslim rulers and Muslim states ruled by people who manipulate the masses using Islamist political ideology. We often forget that in 2015 during an official trip to Egypt she met the Imam of Al-Azhar University.
“It is obvious that the Algerian regime fears the RN coming to power.”
— Aymeric Chauprade
Three days ago, the spokesperson for the RN, Sébastien Chenu, confirmed the party’s intention to abrogate France’s agreements with Algeria, notably those of 1968. Do you believe that this is one reasons for the current disarray of the Algerian regime?
It is obvious that the Algerian regime fears the RN coming to power and we can expect, if this is the case, an ignition of the “red light districts” by the Algerian networks of influence infiltrated on our territory. If Azerbaijan was able to manipulate anti-French separatists thousands of kilometers from its territory, in the Pacific, it is difficult to see how Algeria would not succeed in moving a significant part of the millions of Algerians who live on French territory and benefit from the largesse of its Welfare State. I hope the RN is aware of this threat. It adds to and combines with that of the extreme left which seeks to create civil war.
“If the RN acts in accordance with its official line, we can expect clear and clear recognition of the Moroccan nature of the Sahara.”
— Aymeric Chauprade
In the opinion of certain observers, the arrival of the Le Pen-Bardella couple in power will accelerate the process of recognition by France of the Moroccan nature of the Sahara. Do you share this analysis?
If the RN acts in accordance with its official line and the votes of its MEPs in the European Parliament, we can expect, in fact, a clear and clear recognition of the Moroccan nature of the Sahara. And in relation to what I have just said, if the RN wants to be coherent, it must, simultaneously, with the overhaul of the relationship with Algeria, work to strengthen its alliance with Morocco. I would say that we should jointly announce the recognition of the Moroccan nature of the Sahara, the desire for a high-level strategic partnership with Morocco, and the rethinking of the relationship with Algeria. But be careful, in the context of cohabitation with President Macron, who would largely keep control of France’s foreign policy, the RN’s room for maneuver would not be the same as if Marine Le Pen were elected president and had ‘a majority to govern!
