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Algeria Refuses to Receive Influencer Expelled from France


Sun 12 Jan 2025 | 05:24 AM
Taarek Refaat

The Algerian Foreign Ministry announced in a statement that Algeria "has not engaged in any logic of escalation, outbidding or humiliation."

It confirmed, on the other hand, that "the far right, known for its hate speech and vengeful tendencies, has engaged, through its declared supporters within the French government, in a campaign of misinformation and distortion against Algeria."

The ministry responded to the statements of two French ministers who denounced Algeria's return of the Algerian influencer "Boualem" after his expulsion from France.

A 59-year-old influencer "Doualemn" was detained in the southern city of Montpellier after a video posted on TikTok.

Doualemn was sent by plane to Algeria on Thursday, but was sent back to France the same evening as Algeria refused to let the influencer enter the country.

French Interior Minister Bruno Rotailo stated on Friday that "Algeria seeks to humiliate France," adding that "while we continue to remain calm... we must now evaluate all the means at our disposal towards Algeria."

The historically troubled relations between France and Algeria have recently witnessed new shocks with the arrest of Algerian influencers pending investigation in France for publishing hate messages, and a new diplomatic confrontation over the arrest of an Algerian-French writer in the Algerian capital.

On his part, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that France "will have no choice but to respond" if "the Algerians continue this escalation".

France arrested the Algerian influencer known as "Boualem", 59, on Sunday in Montpellier in the south of the country and revoked his residence permit for accusing him of "calling for the torture of an opponent of the current regime in Algeria", and he was deported to Algeria on Thursday.

However, he was returned to France in the evening after the Algerian authorities prevented him from entering the country.

The Algerian Foreign Ministry described the decision to expel the influencer on Saturday as "arbitrary", noting that the man has been living in France for 36 years and has had a residence permit for 15 years. He is the father of two children born from his marriage to a French woman and has been working in a stable job for 15 years.

It added that "all this information undoubtedly grants this citizen rights that he would have been deprived of claiming before French and European courts due to the hasty and controversial decision to expel him".

It continued, "This citizen was not given the opportunity to benefit from a proper judicial trial that protects him from the abuse of power".

Algeria also accused France of "flagrantly violating the relevant provisions of the Algerian-French consular agreement" signed in 1974, noting in particular that "the French party did not consider it necessary to inform the Algerian party of the arrest, detention, or even expulsion of this citizen".

It added that in the face of the "abuses" and "violations of the rights acquired by the Algerian citizen on French territory", "the Algerian decision on this case was dictated by the desire to allow this citizen to respond to the accusations against him, claim his rights and defend himself within the framework of a fair and just judicial process that takes place on French soil".

Since early January, four other Algerian influencers have been facing legal proceedings in France for statements charged with hatred, particularly targeting opponents of the Algerian government.

Another source of tension between the two countries is the fate of the French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal (75 years old), who has been in prison in Algeria since mid-November on charges of undermining state security and has been in a health care unit since mid-December.

The French president considered on Monday that "Algeria, which we love so much and with which we share so many sons and so many stories, is harming its reputation by preventing a seriously ill man from receiving treatment," demanding the release of the writer who is being held "in a completely arbitrary manner." Algeria described these statements as "blatant and unacceptable interference in an internal Algerian affair."