President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, delivered Thursday a message on the occasion of the National Migration Day, commemorating the 64th anniversary of the demonstrations of 17 October 1961.
Here is the full text:
“In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate Peace and blessings be upon His Messenger,
Dear citizens, On October 17th, we commemorate an unforgettable day in our national memory, a day that symbolizes how Algerian immigrants joined forces with the glorious Liberation Revolution. After seven years of armed struggle, the revolution had become a liberation epic whose momentum and revolutionary spirit won the support of freedom lovers worldwide for a people fighting to overturn colonial history and break free from its domination and tyranny with the most precious sacrifices.
Cornered by the legitimacy of the struggle and the justice of the cause, the colonial regime descended into hysteria at this historic moment. Paris police, under the command of Police Prefect Maurice Papon, imposed an arbitrary curfew on the Algerian community, and his arrogance led him into the depths of criminality and savage repression against peaceful demonstrators, resulting in a tragic massacre by drowning demonstrators in the Seine River, and subjecting them to oppression, torture, and deportation to internment camps…. so that the memory of these sacrifices by our community members of remains forever present in minds.
As we mark the 64th anniversary of the demonstrations of 17 October 1961, I pray with you, on this occasion, with reverence for the souls of those who passed away from the generation of national freedom fighters in foreign lands during the victorious liberation war, and for the souls of the righteous martyrs. I extend my greetings to the daughters and sons of our national community around the world, who carry their love for Algeria and their loyalty to it in their hearts, demonstrating their commitment by participating in the economic transformation underway in our country and by their determination to contribute to the process of national renewal and the building of the modern nation-state to which the proud Algerian people aspire.
Long live Algeria,
Glory and eternity to our valiant martyrs.”
Source: APS
