The Algerian community in France, between collective awakening and new hope for unity
For several years, the political and media climate in France has weighed heavily on the resident Algerian community. This tension, already perceptible, was amplified with the Boualem Sansal affair, which became the symbol of a discourse of disqualification targeting Algeria and its nationals.
More and more often, comments with an Algerian-phobic tone are appearing in public spaces, relayed by certain media and amplified by figures from the hard right and the extreme right. Thus, Éric Zemmour was qualified by Young Africa to maintain a real “Algerian neurosis”, due to his repeated hostile declarations towards Algeria and its nationals. For his part, Pierre Lellouche affirmed on CNEWS: “We are in the middle of a collapse, and that is why the Algerians are wiping their feet on France. » Finally, during a televised debate devoted to the Boualem Sansal affair, Noëlle Lenoir made particularly worrying comments, referring to “millions of Algerians” who “present major risks, being able to pull out a knife in a train station or drive a car into a crowd”.
These verbal excesses, denounced by several associations and personalities, reflect a serious trend: that of an uninhibited stigmatization of an entire community, presented as a threat. These repeated attacks appear to be part of a conscious political strategy: creating an “enemy within”, diverting attention from real social issues and maintaining a climate of fear and division. This phenomenon is not a coincidence: it is part of a logic where stigma becomes an instrument of symbolic control and electoral diversion.
A historic turning point: mobilization or resignation?
Faced with this situation, the Algerian community in France today finds itself at a historic turning point. Two paths are available to it: that of resignation and withdrawal, or even early departure, a scenario dreamed of by racist and xenophobic circles, or that of citizen mobilization, organized, peaceful and structured to collectively confront these abuses.
Many associative actors, intellectuals and citizens believe that the time of silence is over. A new generation, better trained, connected and aware of its rights, refuses to be a spectator of its own caricature. “Enough is enough, we are not the doormat of the far right and the French right. When things go badly, it’s the Algerians’ fault,” one of the coordinators told us firmly. Before adding: “The time of victimization is behind us. From now on, anyone who wants to insult us will have to answer for his actions before the courts. »
Birth of a Franco-Algerian Observatory against discrimination
It is in this dynamic that a collective of action and reflection was born, the result of local initiatives and numerous discussions between community activists on social networks, particularly on TikTok. For the first time, a Franco-Algerian Observatory against discrimination has been created in France.
It brings together executives, lawyers, workers and committed citizens around the same objective: to identify, analyze and denounce comments, to file complaints against racist or xenophobic acts targeting the Algerian community resident in France, while refusing fate and building a united and structured network.
It should be remembered that Algerians in France constitute the first community resulting from immigration and one of the oldest. Estimated at between four and five million people, between residents and Franco-Algerians of several generations, this community represents an essential component of the French social fabric. Its economic, cultural, scientific and artistic contributions are undeniable, but too often overlooked.
The successful Algerian is not always valued, because he does not correspond to the dominant narrative that some want to impose. Recognizing this reality does not mean dividing, it means reestablishing the truth and refusing caricature. It is to affirm that plurality is a wealth and that fraternity must not remain a word engraved on the pediments, but a principle lived on a daily basis.
Today, the mobilization does not aim to oppose, but to affirm the dignity, legitimacy and full contribution of Algerians to French society. This collective awakening perhaps marks the end of a long period of silence and the beginning of an assumed, proud and militant citizen voice.
This initiative could encourage the creation of other collectives determined to defend themselves, through legal means, against the discrimination that affects the Franco-Algerian community. It is essential to remember this forcefully: discrimination is an offense, and French law offers remedies to protect every citizen from racist comments or acts. History has demonstrated it many times: rights cannot be begged for, they are won through unity, perseverance and justice.
The initiative carried out by this collective illustrates an epochal change, that of a generation which chooses dialogue and justice rather than anger or resignation. It is precisely for this reason that the time is no longer for wait-and-see behavior, but for collective, peaceful and determined action. The time has come to build a fairer society, where everyone, whatever their origin, can live with dignity and respect.
Nabil MATI
Associative activist
Teacher University Paris
The Paris School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences
EHESS (anthropology training)
To contact the Collective: observatoirefrancoalgeriens@
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