PARIS — The victory of France's Rassemblement National ("National Rally", RN) party in the June 9 European elections sent a shockwave that has further destabilized the situation of Franco-Algerians, who have been targeted by the far-right for years. The decision by French President Emmanuel Macron to call for snap legislative elections on June 30 and July 7 is raising fears of a far right surge at the national level.
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The Algerian diaspora, one of the largest foreign populations in France, are seeing this as a wake-up call. Many believe they must now plan for the worst and anticipate a real takeover by the far-right in France. Their first reflex? Obtaining Algerian citizenship.
An RN obsession
Algerians living in France will be targeted by the far right, and they know it. For many of them, such a scenario would be disastrous. The far-right has never hidden its political objectives concerning the management of immigration in France, particularly the special status given to the population of Algerian origin.
The Rassemblement National fights ideologically and politically against the significant presence of generations of Algerians, from the first immigrants to their descendants, even those born on French soil.
The day after the European elections, RN spokesperson Sébastien Chenu reiterated his party's obsession with Algeria, repeating that, if victorious, one of the party's first actions would be to repeal the 1968 agreements between Algeria and France. The move is justified as part of the fight against illegal Algerians, who are subject to an Obligation to Leave French Territory (OQTF). These statements place Algerians at the heart of France's migration issues.
It is impossible for the Algerian diaspora in France not to feel targeted.
Immigration, broadly speaking, is also one of the three urgent matters the RN has promised to address if victorious in the legislative elections. The far-right party has always asserted its intention not only to reduce the arrival of non-European foreigners by ending birthright citizenship and family reunification, but also to draft an immigration law that would facilitate the systematic expulsion of foreigners with another nationality in case of a crime or offense.
It is impossible for the Algerian diaspora in France not to feel targeted. If a fundamental right like birthright citizenship is abolished, what will happen to the renewal of residence permits or the acquisition of French citizenship? These means of integration could be threatened someday.
This is the concern among Algerian communities in major French cities.
Safety in multiple passports?
French people of Algerian descent are aware that a far-right government could potentially upset their daily lives in France. For some, the first obvious protective measure is to secure a place for themselves in their second country, in case of any political situation in France. Several Algerians told us they had accelerated their application for Algerian citizenship or passport renewal.
"I had been thinking about it for a while, but this accelerated everything," said Célia, a Franco-Algerian in Paris. "Applying for Algerian nationality has become urgent. I think it remains a security measure when you're a French descendant of immigrants in a country that increasingly embraces racism and would be ready to institutionalize it through laws."
For Amine, who lives in the Paris region, "it's obvious. The more passports I have, the safer I am."
No longer at home in France
For the time being, the far-right's intentions suggest that Algerians with French citizenship and long-term residency will not be affected by the far-right's legislative measures if they come to power. But on an ideological level, some French people of Algerian origin fear they will no longer feel at home in France. What is left for them in a country that publicly assumes voting massively for that constantly stir up hostility toward Algerians in France?
Racist acts in France rose 32% in 2023 from 2022. The previous year, the increase was 4%. Police recorded nearly 15,000 racist and anti-religious acts. And that only accounts for reported incidents. What about those that go unreported? How will this sadly rising curve evolve after a series of far-right victories?
Hence the need to rely on another "home."
"I won't wait to be excluded from my own country to react. I've experienced a lot of racist attacks in recent years. I feel my place is constantly threatened at work. I’m laying low for now, but until when?" Amine said. "I can't take it anymore, and I'm not at all sure that things won't get worse. Having a valid Algerian passport reassures me. I could always take refuge in my second country or another state that recognizes my Algerian nationality."
Worldcrunch 🗞 Extra!
Know more • In case of a National Rally (RN) victory in the upcoming legislative elections, France’s stance on migration could become significantly tougher. The far-right party has said it will abolish the droit du sol, which grants citizenship to children born on French soil from non-French parents; reintroduce the crime of “illegal stay,” allowing French authorities to detain migrants staying in France without documentation; and it will speed up the process of “deportation of foreigners.”
While this would apply to all foreigners on French soil, the case of Algeria is even more controversial due to the party’s stance on France’s colonial past in the North African country. In opposition to the historical record, RN President Jordan Bardella has said that grief is on both sides and that he rejects “any form of collective guilt imposed on France.” Of the same opinion is Marine Le Pen, who also praised her father, the party’s founder, for his military efforts in Algeria, which include multiple accusations of torture.
Turkish public television in French TRT Français writes that Le Pen “has rarely missed an opportunity to vent her fury on Algeria and its demands for an apology,” an element of concern to the more than 800,000 Algerian-born residents of France and more than 1 million children born from Algerian parents living in France. — Fabrizio La Rocca (read more about the Worldcrunch method here)
France's struggle to have a relationship with Algerians
It's hard to feel reassured in a France that, for several years, has struggled to have good relations with its Algerian community. Algeria is constantly a focus of political tensions in France and is not only targeted by the RN.
On May 30, the right-wing Les Républicains party went as far as publishing a hateful tweet on X with a photomontage of Algerian soccer fans on the Champs-Élysées with the comment "Service message to Algeria, you have to take everything back, the good and the bad: criminals, delinquents, illegals, OQTF," followed by #OneTwoThree.
I was afraid of being able to live only in France.
That is not to mention the issue of historical memory, which continues to mar diplomatic relations between France and Algeria and maintain perpetual tensions between the two countries.
For its part, Algeria is reaching out to its expatriates by facilitating access to the country. Algerian authorities have not hesitated to encourage the Algerian diaspora by inviting them to get involved in the upcoming Algerian elections or to invest in their second country, which will always welcome them with open arms.
These arguments could resonate with Algerians in France who are frightened by this increasingly powerful French far-right.
Escape route for kids
Some parents are taking steps to ensure their children obtain Algerian nationality.
"I panicked when I saw that I had lost my S12 [special birth certificate], and those of my children. I realized I was afraid of being able to live only in France. Keeping my Algerian nationality and passing it on to my children is a reassuring choice. I called the Algerian Consulate to ensure I could still renew my Algerian papers and those of my children. When they said I could, I was relieved," said Rania, a mother of three, who lives in Lyon.
"I know it's an unusual approach. My children have never been to Algeria, they don't speak a word of Arabic. I just want to give them an option for safety. It's quite instinctive," Rania said.
Passport application figures are not currently available, so it is impossible to know if there has been an increase in applications at Algerian consulates in France. The results of the second tour on July 7 will be a crucial moment for Algerians in France, demonstrating whether their country is still a land of welcome or not.