France-Algeria Association.. Royal speaks about memory amid criticism of the French right – New Algeria

The well-known socialist-oriented politician and new president of the France-Algeria Association, Ségolène Royal, spoke for the first time about the thorny file of memory between the two countries, noting that France is obligated to acknowledge its colonial crimes in Algeria, as other Western countries have done.

Ségolene Royal, who was recently elected to head the France-Algeria Association, succeeding its former president, Arnaud Montebourg, said that “the memory associated with colonial violence is not subject to calculations and interests, but rather represents a right for recognition in the face of proven and documented facts.”

Ségolin-Royal also confirmed, during the annual meetings of the association held recently in the capital, Paris, that “some of the wounds” and “crimes of French colonialism” in Algeria “have not been completely named… nor repaired or apologized for,” adding that France is obligated to take the steps related to recognizing and apologizing for these crimes completely, “as other countries have done.”

Segolene Royal also confirmed during these meetings that she will do everything in her power to make progress regarding the memory file between Algeria and France, adding that she opposes the concept adopted by the French right regarding this file, which is the concept that depends – as she said – on “rent.”

Ségolene Royal, the former candidate, with a socialist orientation, for the French presidency in 2007 against the former right-wing president Nicolas Sarkozy, was elected about a month ago as head of the France-Algeria Association, succeeding its former president, Arnaud Montebourg. Knowing that this association was founded in 1963 by a number of French figures in order to give an opportunity to continue relations between Algeria and France on the basis of coexistence, only one year after independence. Algeria from French colonialism.

Ségolene Royal is considered one of the most prominent political figures in the French political scene, as well as enjoying great respect among both political allies and opponents. Her political capital deepened further after her candidacy for the French presidency in the 2007 elections against former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Despite her loss in the elections, she left a strong impression on voters during her election campaign, especially after the famous television debate between the two candidates before French voters went to the polls.

Ségolene Royal, 73 years old, who previously held several ministerial positions in France, also enjoys great respect in Algerian political circles, and in August she criticized the measures taken by French President Emmanuel Macron regarding restricting Algerians’ access to visas in order to enter French territory.

Cégolin-Royal has been defending balanced and fraternal relations between Algeria and France, contrary to what the French extreme right led by Marine Le Pen and the neoconservative movement led by former French Interior Minister Bruno Rotayo want. The President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, had previously praised, in an interview with the French newspaper “L’Opinion” last February, the political positions of Cégolin-Royal, among a number of other French political figures nominated by observers to play a role. Any possible mediation for the return of Algerian-French political relations to normal after a stormy diplomatic crisis that began in July 2024 following President Macron’s announcement of his support for the alleged “autonomy” formula proposed by the Moroccan Makhzen regime regarding the issue of Western Sahara.

French politician Ségolene Royal previously expressed her readiness, in statements she made last March, to contribute to any possible mediation to calm relations between the two countries, which have reached an unprecedented level of tension, especially after unjustified hostile political and media campaigns launched by the French extreme right and the neoconservative movement against Algeria during recent periods.

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