Sétif 1945. Insurrection en Algérie. Mythes et réalité

The Algerian myths of May 8, 1945, are legendary

According to official Algerian history, on May 8, 1945, a demonstration in Sétif peacefully demanding independence was allegedly drowned in blood by security forces. This is said to have provoked an insurrection in Northern Constantinois, resulting in 45,000 Muslim deaths. The violence of the rebels is systematically ignored, as is the role of the Algerian People's Party (P.P.A.), that of Messali Hadj, and the Arab-Islamist inspiration behind the uprising.

A meticulous and impartial rectification

Following new research, Roger Vétillard, a native of Sétif, deconstructs the myths that have been created around this tragedy:

• Armed Protesters: The demonstrators in Sétif were armed: the first Europeans were killed by bladed weapons and firearms—well before the demonstration even began.
• Planned Uprising: In May 1945, a general uprising took place, organized by the P.P.A. to establish an Algerian provisional government led by Messali Hadj; this project failed.
• Contested Death Toll: While Djerbal Daho describes the figure of 45,000 indigenous deaths claimed by the Algerian regime as a "fable," other historians accuse France of "genocide."
• Revised Estimates: Facing these inflationary claims, Roger Vétillard estimates that the number of victims was fewer than 2,000 in the Guelma region and fewer than 3,000 in other regions. Where there were no massacres of Europeans, there was no repression.
• European Casualties: There were 125 European deaths.
• The Case of Guelma: The situation in Guelma, where the militia—created after the announcement of the Sétif killings—acted as summary executioners, is presented today as the paragon of repression, whereas it was actually the exception.