Algerian generals had their pro-Palestinian demonstration
Yet Algerians were dying to get out and show their compassion and unwavering solidarity with their Palestinian brothers. Unfortunately for them, they were prevented from doing so. By whom and why?
Paradoxical as it may seem, the regime in Algiers, which shouted from the rooftops that it continued to embrace the motto of the late President Houari Boumediene "with Palestine, right or wrong", severely repressed the few attempts to hold rallies in Algiers, Oran and other cities across the country. Several people who tried to organize marches were arrested and taken to police stations.
Abderrazak Mokri, ex-president of the MSP (Mouvement pour la Société de la Paix), went out to harangue the crowd at the Place des Martyrs on the evening of Thursday October 18, following in the footsteps of thousands of Moroccans, Egyptians, Tunisians and other Arab peoples who had come out to cry out their grief at the images of the bombardment of the hospital in Gaza. The same happened to a young man from Oran, who was forcibly abducted live while broadcasting a Facebook live from Oran.
The day before, Sheikh Ali Belhadj, ex-number 2 of the FIS (Front Islamique du Salut) was abducted in broad daylight by police forces and held for a few hours in a police center before being released.
For the Algerian authorities, letting Algerians take to the streets is out of the question. There is a risk that this could lead to a resumption of the popular uprising against the established order. The so-called "Hirak" uprising has become a nightmare for the Algerian generals and their civilian fronts.
They fall back on empty slogans that leave Algerians doubting the sincerity of their rulers. They gesticulate as best they can, announcing the cancellation of ceremonies scheduled in Algerian embassies abroad. The Palestinian soccer team was offered to host its World Cup qualifier matches in Algeria. Even the cancellation of President Tebboune's trip to Djelfa, the first since his election, was blamed on the Palestinian cause and "developments in the situation in Gaza", as mentioned in a press release issued by the President of the Republic on the morning of Wednesday October 18.
One wonders how events in Gaza could influence a working visit by the president of the Republic to a region of the country. But when it is announced that all soccer competitions will be suspended until further notice, it is easy to understand why Algeria's rulers are getting cold feet. It was in soccer stadiums that the slogans and songs of the hirak were composed and rehearsed.
Throughout the country, soccer arenas were used as a platform for protest by young people eager for freedom and democracy. To quash any hint of the "hirak" returning to the scene in the wake of the events in Gaza, the Algerian regime declared a freeze on all soccer competitions. This is not a sign of mourning, as entertainment and laughter programs continue to be broadcast on both public and private television channels. As there are no cultural or artistic activities in Algeria (no theaters or cinemas), there's no need to suspend them.
The only crowds are in the stadiums, so it's imperative for the Algerian authorities to close down these cult places of "subversion".
Vexed by the grandiose demonstrations staged by Moroccans in many cities of the neighboring kingdom, and more particularly in Rabat, which saw an impressive human typhoon that could not leave the Algerian generals unmoved. They who pass themselves off as the most fervent supporters of the Palestinian cause. They were obliged to retaliate by organizing an outing in their own way, which they kept on a tight leash.
First, they chose the day. Thursday, a working day. But never mind. It's the best way to get a handle on the demonstrators. Primary, middle and high school students will be taken to the chosen rally sites. The same goes for workers, who will be collected from their workplaces and transported in trucks and buses under heavy police surveillance, where they will be warmed up to chant only pro-Palestinian slogans. So, no spontaneous exits from mosques if it happened on a Friday. And we'll be far from drawing parallels with the hirak.
To carry out the scenario, the task has been entrusted to political parties with no popular roots, including the FLN, RND, MSP and other microscopic political formations whose audience doesn't go beyond the doorstep of the home where they were born.
However, the real organizers were the security services, with the DGSI (Direction Générale de la Sécurité Intérieure) in charge and the police, whose thousands had infiltrated the ranks of the demonstrators to play the role of ringleaders.
At the end of the day, the Algerian generals rubbed their hands in satisfaction at having overcome the dreaded obstacle of popular demonstrations, which had not been seen in Algeria since the intrusion of the COVID 19 pandemic, which the Algerian regime had made its serious ally in putting an end to the hirak that had ruled the streets in every city in the country for a good two years.
The question on the minds of observers and millions of Algerians alike is "will Thursday's demonstration be followed by others, or will we hear the Algerian generals thundering "no more playtime"?
