Algerians demonstrate against terrorism

18/04/2007

A rally in Algiers and marches in the provinces on Tuesday (April 17th) offered Algerians a chance to speak out against terrorism and show support for their government's policy of national reconciliation. Radio and television echoed the calls for people to take to the streets in response to the April 11th car bombings that reawakened the anguish of the 1990s.

By Lyes Aflou in Algiers and Kaci Racelma in Tizi-Ouzou for Magharebia – 18/04/2007

[Getty Images] Algerians at the march wanted to express their disapproval of the use of violence

Thousands of Algerians in the capital and throughout the country rallied and marched on Tuesday (April 17th) to speak out against terrorism and show support for the government's policy of national reconciliation.

Following calls from the General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA) and various civil society organisations, protesters filed into the Omnisports stadium in Algiers all morning long. Security personnel used radios and mobile phones to spread the word to as many people as possible, urging them to speak out against the "fleeing terrorists". The UGTA arranged buses to bring as many protesters as possible to the rally.

Algerian flags and banners denouncing terrorism covered the arena, which was packed to the rafters. A large security force was deployed around the arena, while a police helicopter patrolled overhead.

"We want to declare our unconditional support for the process of national reconciliation," announced the event's organisers. They called also for Algerians to participate in the upcoming legislative elections on May 17th, as a way of responding to the attacks in Algiers which killed 33 people and wounded 220.

"No to terrorism, yes to national reconciliation," cried a mass of young people positioned opposite a stage where ministers, leaders of political parties and other community leaders had taken their seats.

Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem addressed the crowd. "The best response to the terrorist savagery is not to cave in… We shall pursue the policy of national reconciliation against terrorism and against all those who seek to destabilise the country," he said.

National reconcilation offers amnesty to reformed Islamists who agree to hand over their weapons. Since February 2006, some 300 armed Islamist elements have laid down their weapons and 2,000 detainees have been amnestied.

More than anything, Algerians at the march wanted to express their disapproval of the use of violence. "We have come here because we want to tell these people who are killing their brothers that we are against what they’re doing," says Ali Hamdi, 26, a law school student from Algiers. "I believe that terrorism is going to die out completely in our country, but this requires all Algerians to stand as one to condemn and denounce this despicable phenomenon," he added.

"We’re fed up with murder and blood. We want an end to this tragedy. I’m 29 and unemployed. I’ve not seen the benefit of this country’s wealth, but I want to live and I hate these killers. We’ve come here to say no, no, no to terrorism," commented Farid Nessah, a youth from one of the working-class districts of Algiers.

[Kaci Racelma] Kabylia residents march against terrorism

Algerian television aired live footage of marches in cities across the country. In Kabylia, men and women of all ages responded to the call from civil society groups, taking to the streets of Tizi-Ouzou and waving banners.

One woman, whose husband was killed by terrorists, said "Our pain may be great, but instability must end for human lives to be preserved. We cannot go back to the nightmare of the past."

Student Arezki Meziane said, “Today we denounce the terrorist violence which seeks to impose … their ideology which is incompatible with our realistic and peaceful values.” The march, he said, sends out a message that Algerians do not subscribe to their radical Islamist agenda.