Algiers: Legislators in Algeria voted to declare France’s colonisation of the North African country a crime, approving a law that calls for restitution of property taken by France during its 130-year rule, among other demands seeking to redress historical wrongs.
France slammed the law as a “hostile act” threatening bilateral efforts to heal wounds of the past. The two countries retain close cultural and economic ties but have troubled diplomatic relations.
In a solemn ceremony steeped in symbolism, 340 of 407 members of Algeria’s National Assembly voted late Wednesday to approve the law. The move came just a few weeks after African countries made a collective resolution for recognition and reparations for colonial-era crimes. The law covers the period from the landing of King Charles X’s army on the beaches of Sidi Ferruch west of Algiers in 1830 to July 5, 1962, the date of Algeria’s official independence. France is unlikely to heed the demands in the law.