Front Algérie Française
Encyclopedia
The Front de l'Algérie Française (French Algerian Front, FAF) was a political and militant movement in favour of French Algeria
, created in 1960 in Algiers
. Its founder was Said Boualam
.
In a short time, the organisation had 400,000 members and by November 1960 this had grown to a million of which 40% were Muslims
, although this is disputed and what Muslim members there were had left by December. Its core membership were Pieds noirs
and the Harki
s.
The organisation was banned by the French
Authorities on December 24, 1960.
Among the activities organised by the front, was a general strike in the country. Strikers included forty civil servants and the Front attempted to force the Algerians to join as well.
On November 11, 1961, a demonstration called by the Front degenerated into violence. A few weeks later, the Front called for the visit of the president Charles de Gaulle
to be violently opposed and for the army to mutiny against the government's orders.
French Algeria
French Algeria lasted from 1830 to 1962, under a variety of governmental systems. From 1848 until independence, the whole Mediterranean region of Algeria was administered as an integral part of France, much like Corsica and Réunion are to this day. The vast arid interior of Algeria, like the rest...
, created in 1960 in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
. Its founder was Said Boualam
Said Boualam
Said Boualam was an Algerian, born at Bône. He was an officer in the French Army, and the founder of the Front Algérie Française, a political and militant movement in favour of French Algeria....
.
In a short time, the organisation had 400,000 members and by November 1960 this had grown to a million of which 40% were Muslims
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, although this is disputed and what Muslim members there were had left by December. Its core membership were Pieds noirs
Pied-noir
Pied-Noir , plural Pieds-Noirs, pronounced , is a term referring to French citizens of various origins who lived in French Algeria before independence....
and the Harki
Harki
Harki is the generic term for Muslim Algerians who served as auxiliaries in the French Army during the Algerian War from 1954 to 1962...
s.
The organisation was banned by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Authorities on December 24, 1960.
Among the activities organised by the front, was a general strike in the country. Strikers included forty civil servants and the Front attempted to force the Algerians to join as well.
On November 11, 1961, a demonstration called by the Front degenerated into violence. A few weeks later, the Front called for the visit of the president Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
to be violently opposed and for the army to mutiny against the government's orders.