Algerians pay tribute to victims of French colonial repression at Paris Olympics ceremony

Algiers Algeria — Algeria reminded France of a particularly dark chapter in its colonial past at an otherwise festive opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics on Friday.

Algerian athletes carried red roses on their boat as they paraded for the event, then threw them into the river to honor the victims of an infamous police crackdown in 1961 on Algerian protesters in Paris. Some members of the delegation chanted “Long live Algeria!” in Arabic after throwing the flowers.

According to historians, some 120 protesters died and 12,000 were arrested during a demonstration on October 17, 1961, in favor of Algerian independence. Some were thrown into the Seine by police.

Kaci Yahia, an Algerian sewer worker in Paris, was among them. His body was never found. His grandson Yanis, 28, who attended the ceremony from Algeria, welcomed the commemoration organized by his country’s delegation on Friday.

“Making such a gesture on the opening day of the Olympic Games in Paris is a monumental tribute to the victims of October 17. It is a moment of immense emotion,” he declared.

Other Algerians believe that the Olympics are not the time for such protest action.

French authorities sought to cover up the 1961 massacre for decades. French President Emmanuel Macron recently acknowledged that the “crimes” committed that day were “inexcusable for the Republic.”

Algeria gained independence in 1962 after 132 years under colonial rule.