Remembrance of 1962 Isly massacre: 'A really difficult period in French history'

 

Dr. Fiona Barclay, Senior Lecturer at the University of Stirling, joins France 24 on a day of remembrance, marking the 1962 Isly massacre in Algiers. "It really marks the moment," explains Dr. Barclay, "at which point the conflict slips from being an official conflict between France and the FLN (National Liberation Front), and the Algerians fighting for independence, to become almost a Franco-French war." During the commemoration, she believes that French President Emmanuel Macron struck the right tone for the community of former French settlers in Algeria, "but he's always walking a tightrope between the different constituencies who have a stake in the Algerian War and its aftermath."  As Dr. Barclay points out, "There is this history of appealing to the 'Pied-Noir' community in the weeks running up to presidential elections."