DZWatch Exclusive: Is celebrating the victories of the Algerian national football team becoming a crime? A recent article in a French publication, Le Figaro, penned by journalist Celine Pina, exemplifies a recurring pattern in French media discourse. This discourse often attempts to transform a transient social phenomenon into an existential crisis, using football as a gateway to reproduce a narrative of fear surrounding the perceived ‘other’. This article warrants critical examination to deconstruct its logic and expose its fallacies.
The piece suggests that French citizens of Algerian descent celebrating Algeria’s victories is evidence of their failed integration. This logic crumbles when faced with the simple reality that European communities in France have been celebrating their countries of origin’s victories for decades without it being considered a threat to French identity. Portuguese, Italians, and Spaniards wave their flags in French streets, yet no one links this to ‘immigration pressure’ or questions their loyalty. The double standard is clear: when the celebrants are of European origin, it is a legitimate cultural expression; when they are of North African origin, it becomes a danger sign.
The article directly links ‘immigration pressure’ to the impossibility of integration, reflecting a superficial understanding of the phenomenon. Integration is not a mathematical equation inversely proportional to the number of newcomers, but a complex process influenced by state policies, social justice, and the quality of public discourse. Canada and Germany receive large numbers of immigrants and achieve much better integration rates. The reason? Clear policies that recognize diversity as a strength, not a threat, and media and political discourse that does not classify citizens into categories based on their origins.
When a young French person of Algerian descent faces discrimination in employment despite their competence, when their housing application is rejected because of their name, and when they read articles daily describing them as an outsider, how can we expect them to ‘integrate’ into a society that rejects them? The article deliberately ignores the historical context of the Franco-Algerian relationship: 132 years of colonialism, a bloody war of liberation, and millions of Algerians who built France after World War II, only to be treated as second-class citizens.
