Eric Zemmour, president of Reconquête, engaged in a heated debate on X with a Marseille imam about France's colonial history in Algeria. The exchange follows a resolution adopted in the National Assembly denouncing the 1968 Franco-Algerian agreement. The two sides clash over historical facts and metaphors related to independence and immigration.
The debate erupted after a statement by Reconquête MEP Sarah Knafo on CNews on October 31. She compared Algeria's 1962 independence to a divorce where France keeps the children and pays alimony, implying Algeria still benefits from French aid while its nationals live in France.
Marseille-based imam Ismail responded on X, criticizing the metaphor as revealing contempt and ignorance. 'Algeria did not divorce France; it was liberated after 132 years of occupation, pillages, and massacres,' he wrote, referring to a 'colossal debt' France has never settled. He added that the 'children' are French citizens born and contributing in France.
On November 2, Eric Zemmour joined with a long post, accusing the imam of 'historical ignorance' and a 'spirit of revenge.' He claimed De Gaulle granted independence to avoid his village becoming 'Colombey-les-Deux-Mosquées.' Zemmour denied pillaging in Algeria, calling it 'marshes and ponds,' and noted that France discovered oil and gas, Algeria's main export resources. 'Who should be grateful?' he asked.
He used a metaphor: an eagle born in a stable does not become a horse, suggesting birth in France does not automatically make one a loyal Frenchman. The imam replied that De Gaulle recognized a lost war, Algeria had an active economy before 1830, and France exploited, rather than discovered, the resources. He deemed Zemmour's metaphor 'racial' and defended French nationality rights for those born on French soil.
This clash comes three days after the RN's resolution adoption in the National Assembly to denounce the 1968 agreement, and after Interior Minister Laurent Nunez's remarks avoiding a 'showdown' with Algeria, which Zemmour criticized as capitulation.