Abdelkader Statue in Amboise

Inspired by historian Benjamin Stora’s recommendations on French-Algerian reconciliation regarding their tumultuous shared colonial history, the Amboise town council, backed by the Elysée Palace, commissioned a sculpture to commemorate Emir Abdelkader, an anti-colonial fighter who was imprisoned in the city during the nineteenth century. He later moved to Syria, where he was awarded France’s highest medal, the Legion of Honour, for his efforts in protecting Christian minorities from sectarian violence. The sculpture was vandalised the night before the scheduled inauguration on February 5 2022. It is worth noting that this took place amidst a highly charged presidential campaigning season, with far-right, xenophobic and Islamophobic rhetoric rampant among many right-wing candidates. This case study demonstrates the interaction of domestic French and international politics, with moves towards official French acknowledgement of France’s colonial abuses at once improving relations between France and Algeria whilst provoking political criticism at home, particularly from right-wing politicians.