Oradour-in-Algeria, Nazism is Pupil of Colonialism
A few days ago, a remnant of the French far-right dreamers of a 'French Algeria,' revolted against journalist and historian Jean-Michel Aphatie, because he claimed that the French occupation army had committed hundreds of 'Oradour-sur-Glane' in Algeria, a reference to a massacre committed by Nazi Germany against the French during World War II.
As is well known, Aphatie's remarks led to his resignation from RTL radio station. However, it was not the first of its kind in modern French history. French historian Alain Ruscio established this fact by finding a document confirming Jean-Michel Aphatie's statement. The document dates back to 1945, when the French occupation army committed one of its most heinous crimes in Algeria: the events of May 8, 1945.
Historian Alain Ruscio wrote an investigation published by the Colonial and Postcolonial History Association, titled 'Colonial Oradour': A Recurring Accusation After 1945.' In it, he compared the numerous condemnations of French colonial crimes and Nazi crimes in Oradour-sur-Glane.
Alain Ruscio says: 'The outcry and angry protests against journalist Jean-Michel Aphatie's statements regarding the 'numerous massacres' committed by the French army during the invasion of Algeria raise questions. The prevailing theme was: French soldiers are incapable of doing this. However, while historical memory is lost among many of our contemporaries, starting with politicians (the example of Florence Portelli, elected by Le Pen's party, is significant) and the specialists in all things who have presented themselves to the groups, the writings remain. The truth is that the similarities between colonial and Nazi practices began with the tragic era of colonialism, and not only among left-wing ideologues or politicians.'
The French historian spoke about numerous French crimes similar to those of Nazi Germany, asking: 'How many Oradors were there in Indochina?' (Vietnam)? In 1950, in the colony of Madagascar, which was described as a 'disgusting war,' the French occupation army brutally suppressed the Malagasy people's revolution.
However, the most heinous and horrific massacres occurred in Algeria, particularly after the outbreak of the Algerian Revolution. The study noted the destruction of the village of Ain Melila, which Les Temps Moderne magazine described as Algeria's 'Oradour.' The study stated: 'In August 1955, the Constantine region was shaken by the outbreak of the rebellion (the Algerian Revolution). The Algerian people, who clearly remember the massacres committed in the region ten years earlier, carried out assassinations. 171 Europeans were killed. The repression was brutal and widespread. A figure of 10,000 victims has been estimated.'
On September 5, 1955, the daily newspaper Libération, then run by Emmanuel d'Astier de La Vigerie, published Robert Merle's testimony, in which he denounced the blind repression: 'For every European killed, 10 or 20 Arabs are shot to death without trial,' the study added. 'World public opinion has every right to fear the presence of 'Oradorians' in Algeria and that we are heading towards a war of racial extermination.'
On October 12, 1955, Socialist MP Mustapha Ben Bahmed took to the podium of the National Assembly (the lower house of the French Parliament) to say: 'In Douar Ait Kezine, a mixed town in Akbou (eastern Algiers), after a bulldozer was destroyed by the Mujahideen (freedom fighters), a French officer arrived with a detachment, carrying a list'.
'He rounded up eleven people, including a ten-year-old boy who refused to leave his father, and shot them near their village. Here, the Interior Minister (Editor's note: Maurice Bourgès-Maunoury) could not deny facts that went far beyond what happened in Oradour-sur-Glane', he added.
Alain Ruscio asserted that 'during this war, there were countless outcries of protest, highlighting the similarities to Nazi crimes (which were present in everyone's memory at the time, especially the memories of former resistance fighters). Starting with Germaine Tillion: 'In 1957, in Algeria, there were practices resembling those of the Nazis.''
In the face of these brutal massacres, academics and activists, including Pierre-Henri Simon, a literature professor at the Catholic University of Lille, issued a warning: 'The French must know that they no longer have the right to condemn the perpetrators of Oradour and the Gestapo (Nazi German intelligence) executioners with the same terms they used ten years ago.'
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