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The controversy between Paris and Algeria is renewed following strong statements made by the French Transport Minister, Philippe Tabarot, in which he affirmed his categorical rejection of any idea related to France apologizing for its colonial era, stressing that "France does not apologize for the past or the present."
Dealing with Algeria Clearly and Firmly
Tabarot's statements, a member of the "Republicans" party and a member of the second government of Sébastien Lecornu, came during an interview with the French CNews channel last Friday, where he called for dealing with Algeria with "clarity and firmness," considering that the current stage requires ending the policy of courtesies that Paris had become accustomed to towards the Algerian regime. These statements sparked a wide discussion within France, as observers saw that they reflect a growing political trend calling for closing the page of the colonial past without offering symbolic apologies, while others considered that the minister frankly expressed what the political elites have been avoiding for years for fear of Algerian reactions. The controversy escalated further after it was revealed that Philippe Tabarot is the son of Robert Tabarot, a member of the Secret Army Organization (OAS) that confronted the Liberation Front during the Algerian War, which prompted some leftist deputies to attack him on a family background that has nothing to do with current politics. The minister implicitly responded to these criticisms by saying that "politics is built on the present, not on ancestry," in a clear reference to the fact that Algeria is still stuck in the discourse of the past. Diverting Algerian Media's Attention from the Country's Internal Crises In contrast, a state of anger prevailed in the Algerian media, which hastened, as usual, to exploit the colonial file in an attempt to divert attention from its internal crises, without any official comment from the Algerian government so far. This controversy comes at a time when relations between Paris and Algeria have been in a state of stagnation since the summer of 2024, when France recognized Morocco's full sovereignty over the Sahara and supported the autonomy proposal submitted by Rabat, a decision that Algeria considered a "stab in the back," despite the fact that it aligned with the positions of the major Western powers. Tensions later escalated after the freezing of security cooperation and the suspension of consular agreements, as well as the dispute over the deportation of irregular migrants, while political calls in France to review the 1968 agreement on the establishment of Algerians returned to the forefront, claiming that it grants unjustified privileges compared to the rest of the communities. While Paris is trying to rebuild rational relations based on mutual interests, Algeria continues to adhere to the historical victim narrative and use the colonial past as a card for political blackmail, which makes any real reconciliation hostage to the Algerian regime abandoning its outdated narrative.
