Algerian athletes from the delegation sailed in a boat along the Seine River at the beginning of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony. Photo
During the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics on Friday, July 26th, members of the Algerian delegation paid tribute to the victims of the 1961 police crackdown on protesters, Yahoo sports reports on July 27th.
As part of the Parade of Nations to kick off the 2024 Olympics, Algerian athletes carried red roses onto their boat and tossed them into the Seine River.
On October 17, 1961, French police killed over 100 Algerian protesters and arrested 12,000 during a demonstration for Algeria’s independence from France. Many protesters were thrown into the Seine by police during what is often described as a massacre. Exact figures remain unknown.
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In 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron became the first president in the nation’s history to acknowledge the “crimes committed that night.” He described them as “unforgivable” while laying flowers at a bridge over the Seine to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the demonstrations.
The French-Algerian war, which lasted nearly eight years, ended in 1962, leading to Algeria’s independence.
Algeria has sent 45 athletes to the Games this summer, which officially kicked off with a rainy Opening Ceremony in Paris.
TRT World, Yahoo Sports and agencies