French Media Fabricates Scenarios to Justify Diplomatic Setback

El Chorouk

04-05-2025

After the relative decline in remarks by some Algeria-obsessed far-right figures in France, including politicians and media outlets, following the exchange of diplomats between Algeria and Paris, other, less extreme outlets are emerging, indicating a hidden war, implicitly holding Algeria responsible for the deterioration of bilateral relations.
In this regard, the weekly L'Express published a report in its latest issue titled 'France-Algeria: The spy war,' in which it attempted to accuse Algeria of committing illegal acts on French soil by targeting dissidents. This attempt is intended to justify the crisis engulfing the two countries, which has profoundly impacted a large portion of the French political class, who views Algeria as a vital area of influence in North Africa and a gateway to the continent.
The French media often contributes to fueling political and diplomatic tension with Algeria. This role was played in a repulsive manner before the rift occurred, through the incitement operation attributed to prominent far-right figures or those who advocated for far-right views and orientations, such as the former French ambassador to Algeria, Xavier Driencourt, who only retreated from the spotlight after contributing to the destruction of bilateral relations.
In this file, replete with events that Algeria had previously disavowed, L'Express claimed to have documented some questionable incidents and, based on unidentified sources, attributed responsibility to the Algerian side. This comes at a time when many approaches point to the involvement of a third party, which aimed to undermine and destroy relations between Algeria and Paris.
The magazine wanted to convey to the public that the Algerian consular official, who was arrested in a showy manner on a French street, was connected to the alleged incident involving a fugitive from Algerian justice who enjoys French protection. This was a desperate attempt to absolve French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau of responsibility for destroying the rapprochement that had just taken place between the two countries' presidents, Abdelmadjid Tebboune and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.
Many observers in both countries agree that Bruno Retailleau, from his position as the senior official in charge of the French General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI), orchestrated the kidnapping of the Algerian consular employee in Paris in a showy manner, outside diplomatic norms, bilateral agreements, and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Retailleau's goal was to undermine Macron's appeasement option and, in return, impose his approach to managing the crisis with Algeria. What is particularly repulsive about this situation is that he exploited relations with Algeria as an electoral card for his party's leadership race at 'The Republicans, LR' in anticipation of the French 2027 presidential elections.
It is well known that this incident triggered a violent Algerian reaction, culminating in the decision to expel 12 consular officials working at the French Embassy in Algeria, an unprecedented incident in the history of bilateral relations. This decision was followed by a similar one, but was also followed by the recall of the French ambassador, Stéphane Romatet, who may have received the order with great relief, given his frequent visits to the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to convey the authorities' anger at his country's relentless provocations.
There is no doubt that a crisis of this severity represents a setback for French diplomacy. Many analysts think that the scenarios being propagated by French media represent a desperate attempt to evade responsibility for the destruction of bilateral relations and place the blame squarely on Algeria.