Retailleau’s Anti-Algerian Rant: France’s Colonial Arrogance Repackaged for the Ballot Box

✍️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada

In defiance of Macron’s official line, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau resurrects colonial-era hostility, scapegoating Algeria to curry favor with far-right voters and fuelling France’s escalating Islamophobia.

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Algiers, Algeria | July 7th, 2025 — At a time when French authorities claim to be pursuing diplomatic “calm” with Algeria, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau’s belligerent rhetoric has once again exposed the enduring colonial arrogance lurking beneath France’s political façade. In yet another incendiary attack, Retailleau has blatantly defied the Élysée’s directives, resuming his now-familiar campaign of hostility against Algeria—this time exploiting the arrest of writer Boualem Sansal to stir far-right emotions.

In a lengthy feature by the newspaper Le Figaro, Retailleau expressed growing “impatience” with Algeria and unabashedly called for a “logic of force” in dealing with the North African nation. His defiant tone lays bare the strategic use of Algeria as a tool of electoral propaganda—particularly designed to court the increasingly radical right-wing electorate in France.

Algeria: A Convenient Electoral Scapegoat

Retailleau’s verbal assaults are not random outbursts; they reflect a calculated political strategy that treats Algeria—and by extension, its immigrant community in France—as an ideological punching bag. Behind the guise of defending French sovereignty lies a deeper, more cynical motive: leveraging anti-Algerian sentiment to stoke nationalism and win votes.

This rhetoric, amplified by right-wing media, has consequences. France is witnessing a surge in hate crimes, including the shocking murder of a Tunisian man in southeastern France—an act that French political leaders directly linked to the climate of racial hatred stoked by Retailleau’s incendiary remarks.

Manuel Bompard, national coordinator of the France Unbowed party, branded Retailleau “a dangerous divider,” while MP Bastien Lachaud held him politically and morally responsible for fuelling Islamophobic violence—highlighting attacks on mosques and the rising threats faced by Muslim families in France.

The Hypocrisy of the French Republic Exposed

The duplicity of the French state is now laid bare. While publicly portraying itself as a secular, humanitarian republic, France continues to weaponize its colonial past and deploy anti-Algerian rhetoric as a tool for political gain. It presents a façade of reconciliation abroad while stoking racism and division at home.

Retailleau’s discourse is not merely a personal deviation—it reflects a broader political current within France that has failed to reckon with its colonial history. This current refuses to see Algeria as a sovereign nation and continues to frame it as a subject of French paternalism. In truth, Retailleau’s tirade is nothing short of a rebranded colonial narrative, strategically disguised as domestic policy.

Algeria, standing firm in its sovereignty, will not be dragged back into France’s colonial imagination. If France is sincere about building an equal partnership with Algeria, it must begin by silencing those who use xenophobia and historical revisionism to divide and conquer.

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