Emmanuel Macron paid tribute on Tuesday February 8 to the nine victims who died at the Charonne metro in Paris, during a demonstration for peace in Algeria on February 8, 1962, violently repressed by the police under the authority of the prefect Maurice Papon.
Read alsoAlgerians killed during the demonstration of October 17, 1961 in Paris: the war of numbers
The head of state is the first president to pay tribute to the victims of this demonstration, which had been organized by left-wing parties, in particular the French Communist Party.
Paris police chief Didier Lallement laid a wreath on behalf of the president on Tuesday during a ceremony at the Père Lachaise cemetery, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the demonstration.
In a brief press release, Emmanuel Macron declared that “
on February 8, 1962, a united demonstration was organized in Paris for peace and independence in Algeria and against the attacks of the OAS.
It was violently repressed by the police: 9 people lost their lives, several hundred were injured
”.
“
Sixty years after this tragedy, I pay tribute to the memory of the victims and their families
,” he adds.
This tribute, long awaited, "
is part of a global process of recognition of all the memories linked to the Algerian war and which aims to build this common memory
", specifies his entourage.
Already on October 16, Emmanuel Macron had also made a memorial gesture for the 60th anniversary of another tragedy, the massacre of several dozen Algerian demonstrators in Paris on October 17, 1961, declaring that these "
crimes
" committed "
under the authority of Maurice Papon
” are “
inexcusable for the Republic
”.
Since his accession to power in 2017, Emmanuel Macron has multiplied memorial gestures to try to "
reconcile memories
" between French and Algerians, but without "
repentance
".