Algeria rejected, this Saturday, January 11, France’s accusations of “escalation”, after the return to Paris of an Algerian influencer, previously expelled to his country by France. “Algeria is, in no way, engaged in a logic of escalation, one-upmanship or humiliation,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release.
“The vengeful and hateful extreme right, as well as its certified heralds within the French government, are currently leading a campaign of disinformation, even mystification, against Algeria,” he added. On Friday, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said that “Algeria seeks to humiliate France.” “By keeping our cool […] We must now evaluate all the means at our disposal vis-à-vis Algeria,” he added.
The case of an influencer
“Doualemn”, a 59-year-old influencer, was arrested in Montpellier, in the south of France, after a contentious video on TikToK. He was then put on a plane Thursday afternoon for Algeria, from where he was returned to France the same evening, Algeria having “banned him from territory”, according to the Interior Ministry.
The Algerian ministry specifies that faced with the “excesses” and “violations of the rights acquired” by this national on French territory, “the Algerian decision in this case is driven by the concern to allow him to respond to the accusations brought against him , to assert one’s rights and to defend oneself within the framework of a fair and equitable judicial process on French territory.