Retailleau ruined relations with Algeria, and the French colonization was brutal.
The French Press Agency summarized the interview in a brief dispatch that various French media outlets covered last Wednesday, while the full interview was only disseminated through the agency's YouTube channel on Saturday, May 24. The full interview was rich in details of great importance that the dispatch did not mention.
It was striking in following the 'video dialogue,' which lasted for 35 minutes, the disappearance of many points that the French historian discussed regarding Algerian-French relations from the past and present, especially concerning the description of the occupation crimes during the initial period of colonization that lasted for eighty years, as well as the crisis instigated by the far-right to destroy the relations between Algeria and Paris.
What Benjamin Stora said: 'The French colonization of Algeria cannot be considered a trivial matter, because it was a colonization unlike any other.
There was a colonial invasion that lasted for eighty years. It was truly horrific; there were atrocious massacres that the French only discovered recently. Entire villages and cities were destroyed, and this cannot be ignored. There were burnings (the caves), forced relocations of Algerians from their land, and their confinement in camps.'
He adds: 'These are painful memories in the history of Algerians that cannot be underestimated. Algeria was part of France, not just a protectorate like Morocco and Indochina. France's borders, until the 1960s, extended south to Mali, Niger, Libya, and Mauritania… The French believed it was impossible to abandon Algeria, which is rich in oil, gas, phosphate, and gold, which led some of the French people to consider Algeria's independence a betrayal.' General Charles de Gaulle was accused of committing this betrayal, and he was the target of assassination attempts several times until his death in 1970.
As for the telegram reported by the French Press Agency last Wednesday (France Press), it focused on the role of memory in bridging the gap between the two countries. It quoted Stora: 'We need strong initiatives, especially regarding the issue of French colonization of Algeria in the 19th century.
But today, in my opinion, considering the possibility of launching memory initiatives could serve as an alternative to resuming political relations,' which is 'necessary to resolve issues of immigration or visas.'
The agency also overlooked an important aspect of the dialogue, which is the role of Algeria in driving rapprochement through memory. Benjamin Stora pointed out that the idea of creating a joint committee of Algerian and French historians originated in Algeria, and it was an initiative that should have been capitalized on.
The historian emphasized that the committee cannot write a shared history because each side has its own perspective. The French consider colonialism as bringing civilization to Algeria, while the Algerians view it as the main reason for the killing of millions, the theft of their wealth, and their illiteracy.
In the opinion of the French historian, progress on the memory front could have alleviated tensions through initiatives from the French president, which were embodied in Macron's acknowledgment that the French state is responsible for the assassination of Maurice Audin, Ali Boumendjel, and the martyr Arab Ben Mhidi.
However, the controversial shift in the French stance on the Sahrawi issue led to the stifling of that initiative, which was proposed after its crystallization during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Algeria in the summer of 2022.
He also accused France of making decisions that intensified the crisis, as it 'reduced the number of visas granted to Algerians without announcing it, from 400 to 200 or 250 thousand, and Algerians are aware of this.
Requesting a visa from a holder of a diplomatic passport is considered reaching the brink of a break, which I don't think will happen because there are millions of people from both sides and shared ties of land and lineage.'
Stora was asked if he would play the role of mediator to resolve the crisis between the two countries, to which he replied: 'The mediator must be accepted by both parties of the crisis. There is no search for a mediator. The crisis has reduced communication channels. I was indeed received by the two presidents in 2020 and 2021, but many things have changed today; we are in 2025.' He hinted that the French Minister of the Interior is responsible for the deterioration of these bilateral relations.
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