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Algerian lawmakers have voted to classify France’s colonisation of the country as a crime, passing legislation that demands the return of property seized during more than a century of French rule, along with other measures aimed at addressing historical injustices.
France reacted strongly, denouncing the legislation as a “hostile act” that could undermine efforts by both sides to reconcile over their shared past. Despite deep cultural and economic links, relations between Paris and Algiers have long been strained.
In a highly symbolic late-night session on Wednesday, 340 of the 407 members of Algeria’s lower house approved the bill. The vote followed a recent collective push by African nations seeking acknowledgment and reparations for abuses committed during the colonial era.
The legislation applies to the period beginning with the arrival of King Charles X’s forces at Sidi Ferruch, west of Algiers, in 1830, and ending with Algeria’s independence on July 5, 1962.
Under the law, France would be required to return Algerian archives and assets transferred during colonial rule, hand over detailed maps of nuclear tests carried out in Algeria between 1960 and 1966, and facilitate the return of the remains of certain Algerian resistance fighters taken to France.
The law stipulates prison sentences for any action by an Algerian celebrating French colonialism, for attacks on symbols of the Algerian resistance, and “remarks with colonial connotations.”
France is unlikely to heed the demands in the law.
The law is “a manifestly hostile initiative,” the French Foreign Ministry spokesperson’s office said in a statement to The Associated Press. It noted efforts under French President Emmanuel Macron to address colonial-era grievances, and added: “We continue to work toward the renewal of dialogue,” notably about security and migration issues.
Macron, in 2017, described elements of France’s history in Algeria as a crime against humanity, but stopped short of an official apology. Meanwhile, the resurgent far right in France celebrates colonialists.
The economic cost of colonialism in Africa is believed to be staggering. Algeria suffered some of the most brutal forms of French colonial rule.
Nearly a million European settlers held greater political, economic and social privileges, even though Algeria was legally part of France and its men were conscripted in World War II. Hundreds of thousands died in Algeria’s revolution, during which French forces tortured detainees, disappeared suspects and devastated villages as part of a counterinsurgency strategy to maintain their grip on power.
Huge Algerian flags adorned the lower house of parliament as speaker Mohamed Boughali delivered his opening address Wednesday.
“Today, December 24, 2025, is a historic day, to be written in letters of gold in the national narrative,” he began, before being interrupted by lawmakers intoning an excerpt from the Algerian national anthem: “O France, the hour of reckoning has arrived … we have sworn to revive Algeria, bear witness! Bear witness!”
The speaker called the law, ″a political message and an explicit moral stance.″
Government officials, professors, and former members of parliament who championed the bill were all invited to the ceremony. As the speaker declared the law adopted, shouts of “Allahu Akbar!” and “Tahya Al Djazair!” (Long live Algeria!) rose from the floor.
“This is a special day for me, full of emotion and pride. Today marks the culmination of a long struggle that we began in 2001 with fellow members of parliament, for the memory and honor of all those who fought against French colonization,” Mohamed Arezki Ferrad, a former lawmaker who initiated the bill, told the AP.
The law, which contains five chapters and 27 articles, declares that there is no statute of limitation on colonial-era crimes.
With inputs from agencies
