PARIS: French authorities arrested another Algerian social media influencer on Wednesday, the interior minister announced, amid rising tensions between Paris and the former North African colony.
Interior Minister Bruno Lutailot said on social media that Rafic M. had “called on Tiktok to commit acts of violence on French territory”, but did not say where he was arrested.
The influencer is one of six Algerians arrested in France last month on charges of calling for violence on French territory.
One of them, known as “Dualem”, was deported to Algeria, but the authorities immediately sent him back to France, infuriating Letaillot.
Tensions between France and Algeria have been rising since President Emmanuel Macron reiterated France’s support for Morocco’s sovereignty in the disputed region of Western Sahara during a visit to the kingdom last year.
Western Sahara, once a Spanish colony, is largely under the de facto control of Morocco. But this is being claimed by Saharawi separatists from the Algerian-backed Polisario Front, who want a referendum on self-determination.
Meanwhile, Algeria has detained French-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal on national security charges. Sansar, who was arrested at Algiers airport in November, is a major figure in modern Francophone literature.
Letaillot, a hard-line right-winger, repeatedly accused Algeria of trying to “humiliate France.”
Far-right groups in France are calling on the government to take harsh measures against Algiers, including suspending aid and cooperation agreements and granting visas.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrault said earlier this month that France “will have no choice but to retaliate” if “the Algerian side continues to further escalate the disturbance.”
But Algeria rejected France’s condemnation of the escalation and denounced a “disinformation campaign” by Paris.
Mr Letaillot’s hard-line stance on foreign affairs is unpopular across France, with Dominique de Villepin, the influential former foreign minister and prime minister, calling him succumbing to “escalation” and the “temptation of settlement”. he accused.
Defense Minister Sébastien Lecorne on Tuesday expressed regret at “the current excesses of the Algerian government” and called for a “reestablishment of relations” between Algeria and France.
“We need to normalize diplomatic relations with Algeria,” Letailault himself said in an interview published on Tuesday, adding: “It’s time to turn the page.”
Algeria won independence from France in 1962 after more than seven years of brutal war, but the scars from that conflict have not completely healed.
