"In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful, prayers and peace be upon His noble Messenger, Dear fellow citizens, The Algerian people commemorate, on this May 8th, one of the most atrocious massacres and genocidal crimes against humanity in the contemporary era.

They recall a page deeply marked by colonial hatred, among the darkest that humanity has ever known, embodying a blatant disregard for the right to life.

It is a page that reflects moral degradation devoid of any civilizational value, which extremist circles continue to this day to boast about and defend, shamelessly promoting the falsehood of ‘colonialism as a bearer of civilization and progress.

In stark contrast to these false claims, the May 8th, 1945 massacres were a genocide perpetrated against defenseless Algerians, including women and children, on their own land and in their own homeland

They were demanding their right to freedom and were collectively exterminated (45,000 martyrs) under artillery bombardments and the tracks of military machinery, with extreme coldness and deep hatred.

During those painful days, scenes of horror multiplied: entire villages were set ablaze, horrific executions were carried out, and dozens of martyrs were thrown into mass graves in Sétif, Guelma and Kherrata over several days.

These unbearable and indelible scenes of history bring shame and disgrace upon their perpetrators and condemn those who advocate forgetting and denial, as well as their descendants, for their inability to confront established truths.

The martyrs of Algeria who fell during these tragic massacres became the catalyst that hastened the outbreak of the glorious November 1st Revolution, after the echoes of the repression of the Algerian people aspiring to freedom reached international public opinion across the world, thereby bringing our just cause to the United Nations platform.

These painful sacrifices will forever remain one of the glorious chapters of our contemporary history and will remain present in all their details within the Memory file, which constitutes one of the essential foundations for building relations free from the excessive glorification of a dark and unjust colonial era, as well as from extremist discourse trapped in illusory and bygone nostalgia.

Commending in this regard, all historical, intellectual and cultural initiatives and events organized annually on this memorable date in universities, schools, youth centers, cultural centers and various spaces to prevent forgetting and preserve Algeria’s glorious heritage, I have instructed the Ministry of Mudjahideen and Rights Holders to implement two projects.

The first project concerns national conferences on Memory and History, and the second involves the preparation of a bill on National Memory, in loyalty to the martyrs of the May 8th, 1945 massacres and to all the martyrs of Algeria.

On this National Memory Day, marking the 81st anniversary of these massacres, we bow in reverence before their pure memory and renew our commitment to uphold their oath and to serve our beloved homeland and the valiant Algerian people, in a victorious, proud and dignified Algeria.

Long live Algeria.

Glory and eternity to our valiant martyrs."

President Tebboune’s message on National Memory Day