France Shocked Algeria Wants Reparations for 130 Years of... France
The story focuses on potential diplomatic 'escalation,' conveniently glossing over the 1830 French invasion, the 1 million Algerians reportedly killed during the 1954-1962 war of independence, or the hundreds of thousands tortured. France officially recognized crimes against humanity in Algeria in 2005—a full 43 years after independence. Yet, the mainstream narrative still frames Algerian demands
as an inconvenient 'feud,' not a long-overdue accounting. One might wonder why former colonial powers are always so surprised when their victims ask for more than an 'oopsie.' Perhaps the concept of reparations for historical trauma is only palatable when it doesn't involve current Western coffers. (Funny how that works.)