BY: Hana Saada
ALGIERS-July 16, 2023- In a recent interview with the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna has stirred up a diplomatic storm by launching scathing attacks against Algeria and countries that condemned the killing of Nael Marzouk, including Turkey and Iran. Colonna’s remarks have been met with widespread criticism.
Colonna’s initial focus was on the restoration of the republican and democratic systems, stressing the importance of understanding the complex factors behind the tragic events. While acknowledging multiple challenges faced by French society, including education, employment, housing, and cultural issues, the Minister’ subsequent comments took a contentious turn.
Expressing satisfaction with France’s economic progress, re-industrialization, low unemployment rates, and increasing access to public services and green initiatives, Colonna pivoted to critique countries with questionable human rights records. She brazenly declared, “We don’t need lessons, it’s appropriate to teach us lessons. It would be funny if its people did not suffer so much.”
It is important to note that the unrest in France, which witnessed widespread riots in several cities at the end of June and the beginning of July, was ignited by the tragic killing of Nael Marzouk, a young man of Algerian origin, by a police officer in Nanterre. These events have rightfully triggered demands for justice, accountability, and systemic reforms within the French law enforcement agencies.
