(AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)ALGIERS, Algeria -- Legislators in Algeria voted to declare France’s colonization 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. The law is “a manifestly hostile initiative,” the French Foreign Ministry spokesperson's office said in a statement to The Associated Press. Macron, in 2017, described elements of France’s history in Algeria as a crime against humanity, but stopped short of an official apology. Algeria suffered some of the most brutal forms of French colonial rule. As the speaker declared the law adopted, shouts of “Allahu Akbar!” and “Tahya Al Djazair!” (Long live Algeria!)

Source: The North Africa Journal December 25, 2025 18:40 UTC