Tribute from Holland to the Harkis, this Sunday: why the policies of the right will flock to it also – BFMTV.COM

Prior to 2017, the politicians of all stripes declare their support to the cause of the Harkis. François Hollande will deliver this Sunday in a speech in the framework of the national day of homage to Harkis, in the courtyard of the Hotel national des Invalides, announced the presidency of the Republic. Established by the decree of 31 march 2003, this is a day held each year in Paris, at an official ceremony. In addition to François Hollande, former president Nicolas Sarkozy, Marine Le Pen, president of FN, and Jean-François Copé, a candidate in the primary from the right, are expected to attend this tribute.

According to the secretariat of State for veterans and Memory, this day will be the occasion to present the balance sheet of the 2nd year of the Plan “Harki”, the action plan in favour of former members of the forces as auxiliary, and their families presented on 25 September 2014.

A community estimated to be three million people

according to the agreements of Evian on 18 march 1962, the Harkis were, according to historians, were abandoned in Algeria and victims of bloody reprisals on the part of the nationalists. With their descendants, their community is estimated to be three million people. This represents about 7% of the electorate traditionally identified as close to the right wing, even extreme right. In march 2015, the mayor of Béziers, Robert Ménard had renamed a street in the name of the commandant Denoix de Saint-Marc, one of the outstanding figures of French Algeria. In 2012, the Harkis were mostly voted for Nicolas Sarkozy and Marine Le Pen. Their voices will weigh in no doubt about the primary right and centre.

But this electorate is over time the more homogeneous and the vote of the new generations tends to be closer to the national average. The singer Enrico Macias, who had supported Nicolas Sarkozy has since distanced himself from the former president. As to Marine Le Pen, he wanted to “leave France” if she ever rose to power.

In a speech on April 5, 2012, François Hollande, then a presidential candidate, had pledged to recognize the responsibility of France “in the abandonment of the harkis, the massacre of those who remained in Algeria and conditions of reception of families transferred to camps in France”.