- In 1954 the Algerian war began. But faced with a conflict that escalated, successive governments were unable to provide an adequate response to the decolonization movement that had been underway since the end of the Second World War. In 1958, de Gaulle returned to power, proposing some Algerian autonomy, but without endorsing independence.
- If the war can find a favorable military outcome for France, the political end does not seem viable. The Algerians are actively campaigning for their independence and the French population accepts this idea, as evidenced by the demonstrations, the carriers of suitcases with false papers, or the commitment of intellectuals (Manifeste des 121) like Sartre.
- Following the failure of the Algiers putsch of April 1961, activists in favor of French Algeria founded the Organization Armée Secrète (OAS):its main goal was to overthrow de Gaulle and fight the FLN , using methods of attacks. The OAS intensified its actions from the end of 1961:on February 7, 1962, ten attacks were committed by the Organization, one of which targeted André Malraux, Minister of Culture.
February 8, 1962
Characters
Roger Frey
Procedure
The political parties of the left (including the PCF and the PSU) and the trade unions (CGT and CFTC) call for demonstrations on February 8 at the end of the day to protest against the attacks and the operations of the French army in Algeria, although demonstrations are prohibited. At 6:30 p.m., more than 2,000 people gathered in Bastille to denounce the actions of the OAS:relations with the police were strained. An hour later, the organizers called for the dispersal:part of the procession found itself blocked by the police at the entrance to the Charonne metro. A stampede led to the fall of demonstrators, who notably received tree grates thrown by the police:eight people were killed, including 3 women and a 15-year-old boy. A large number of the victims are members of the CGT and the PCF.
Consequences
- The funeral of the victims was held on February 13, 1962:an impressive crowd came to greet the victims one last time and to meditate. French opinion is deeply marked by the extreme violence of police repression.
- A controversy erupts over the government's responsibility for the massacre:although the Minister of the Interior, Roger Frey, first denounces the violent behavior of CGT and communist activists during the demonstration, a document attests that the OAS came agitate the manifestation to trigger overflows.
- While the OAS wanted to provoke the PCF beforehand, its ambitions ended in failure:the organizations of the left were to find themselves even closer following the murderous episode of the Charonne metro, and the date of February 8, 1962 remains prominent in socialist and communist political memory.