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French authorities Wednesday arrested another Algerian social media influencer as tensions soar between Paris and its North African former colony, the interior minister announced, in a statement that earned him a rare rebuke from Paris prosecutors.
Rafik M. had “called on Tiktok for the carrying out of violent acts on French territory,” said Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau on social media, without saying where he had been arrested.
The influencer is one of half a dozen Algerians said to have been apprehended in France over the last month on accusations of calling for violence on French territory.
But in a rare move, the office of the Paris prosecutor stepped in with a statement rebuking Retailleau, who has been at the forefront of the crisis between Paris and Algiers, and accusing him of jumping the gun.
“It is to be emphasised that only the judiciary can communicate on an ongoing legal case and that a person who is not judged is presumed innocent,” the Paris prosecutor’s office told AFP.
“In this case, this leak is also completely premature,” it added.
According to a source close to the case, who asked not to be named, the Algerian influencer was arrested Wednesday morning in the 13th district of Paris.
But his state of health was deemed incompatible with police custody, and he has been summoned for questioning on Thursday, the source added.
– ‘Seeking to humiliate’ –
Tensions have surged between France and Algeria after President Emmanuel Macron renewed French support for Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara during a visit to the kingdom last year.
Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, is mostly under the de facto control of Morocco. But it is claimed by the Algiers-backed Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front, who want a self-determination referendum.
Algeria meanwhile has been holding French-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal on national security charges. Sansal, who was arrested at Algiers airport in November, is a major figure in modern francophone literature.
Retailleau, a hardline rightwinger, has meanwhile accused Algeria of “seeking to humiliate France”.
The far right in France is urging the government to take tough measures against Algiers, including cancelling aid, cooperation agreements and delivering visas.
One of those arrested in the last days, known as “Doualemn”, was deported to Algeria where the authorities promptly sent him back to France in a move that incensed Retailleau.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said earlier this month France would have “no option but to retaliate” if “the Algerians continue to escalate” the row.
But Algeria has rejected France’s accusation of escalation, denouncing a “campaign of disinformation” by Paris.
Retailleau’s hardline stance on a diplomatic issue has not met with universal approval in France however, with influential former foreign minister and prime minister Dominique de Villepin accusing him of “escalation” and giving in to the temptation of “settling scores”.
Defence minister Sebastien Lecornu called on Tuesday for “rebuilding the relationship” between Algeria and France, while expressing regret over “the current excesses of the Algerian government”.
Retailleau said in an interview published Tuesday that “we now need to normalise our diplomatic relations with Algeria”, adding that “the time has come to turn the page.”
Algeria won independence from France in 1962 after a ferocious war that lasted more than seven years and the scars from which have never fully healed.
“I understand very well that the war of independence is a foundation event for modern Algeria. I understand that Algeria celebrates this event,” Retailleau said on social media Wednesday.
“But in return, I expect France to be respected as well. No pain of history can give anyone, including Algeria, a right to offend France.”
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