Algeria Calls Colonial Rule a Crime, Puts France on Notice over Reparations

With input from ABC News, Al Jazeera, France 24, and BBC.

Algeria’s parliament has taken a sharp turn in its long-running reckoning with France’s colonial past, voting to formally label French rule a crime and demanding restitution for what lawmakers say was more than a century of abuse, theft and violence.

In a highly symbolic session late Wednesday, 340 of 407 lawmakers approved a new law declaring France’s 130-year colonisation of Algeria — from 1830 to independence in 1962 — a state crime. The vote came amid chants of “Long live Algeria” and verses from the national anthem echoing across the chamber, as lawmakers framed the move as a historic moment of moral clarity.

“This is a political message and an explicit moral stance,” parliament speaker Brahim Boughali said as huge Algerian flags draped the room.

Supporters hailed the vote as overdue recognition of historical trauma that, they argue, still shapes Algeria’s present.

The legislation goes beyond symbolism. It calls on France to:

• Return Algerian archives and property taken during the colonial era;
• Hand over detailed maps of French nuclear tests carried out in Algeria between 1960 and 1966;
• Repatriate the remains of Algerian resistance fighters taken to France;
• Accept legal responsibility for the “material and moral damages” caused by colonisation.

The law also criminalises praise or glorification of French colonialism inside Algeria, with potential prison sentences for those who cross that line.

While legal experts say the law has no binding international force, its political weight is hard to miss. It places colonial accountability at the heart of Algeria’s legal framework and signals a tougher posture toward Paris.

France wasted little time rejecting the move. The foreign ministry described the law as a “manifestly hostile act” that threatens efforts to improve ties, even as it said Paris remains open to dialogue on issues like security and migration.

French President Emmanuel Macron has previously acknowledged that parts of France’s history in Algeria amount to crimes against humanity, but he has consistently stopped short of issuing a formal apology or endorsing reparations — a stance that continues to frustrate Algerian leaders and activists.

The vote lands at a tense moment in Franco-Algerian relations, already strained by disputes over Western Sahara, diplomatic arrests, and broader disagreements about historical memory. Algeria backs independence for Western Sahara, while France supports Morocco’s autonomy plan — a rift that has spilled into other areas of cooperation.

For many Algerians, the law is about more than France. It’s about reclaiming narrative control after decades in which colonial violence — forced displacement, torture, nuclear testing and mass killings — was either minimised or debated away.

“This isn’t about gifts or favors,” Algeria’s foreign minister has said of reparations. “It’s about rights.”

Even supporters acknowledge France is unlikely to comply with the law’s demands. But analysts say that may not be the point. The legislation draws a clear line in the sand: Algeria’s national memory, lawmakers insist, is not up for negotiation.

In a region and era where former colonies are increasingly pushing Western powers to confront their pasts, Algeria’s vote adds fresh pressure — and fresh friction — to one of Europe and Africa’s most complicated post-colonial relationships.