Algeria: Cherifa Kheddar on the 8 March rally

Dear friends, the rally that took place on the occasion of 8 March, International Women’s Day, at Place de La Grande Poste, “Place Karima Belhadj” (in Algiers) was a great success according to the public – both young and less young, women and men. The list of women assassinated by Islamists gave rise to a very interesting debate between the women and passers-by in the square baptised ‘Karima Belhhadj” on the 8 March 13 years ago. Many citizens came up to us and said they didn’t find the names of women they knew on our lists. They were invited to supply us with the necessary information so that we could add it to our lists. 

The rally began around 12.30pm, with the participation of several dozen women from the Djazairouna Association, mothers and sisters of women who were assassinated, and a dozen women members of the Observatory of violence against women, as well as some militants of the Parti pour la Laïcité et la Démocratie (PLD), and it ended at 4pm with Cherifa, and a woman journalist (the others had departed to attend other 8 March events), responding to questions from the public. Many people addressed us, both to thank us for this initiative and to debate with us the importance of the ‘culture of memory’ in current political debate, and naturally there were many comments on the phrase “assassinated by Islamist terrorists”, which we carried on our signs and that some people took as a criticism of Islam. For once, I took the time to say that while one should not confuse Muslims with Islamists, one should denounce the exploitation of religion for political ends or to seize power.

Cherifa Kheddar

President of the Asssociation "Djazairouna" of families of the victims of Islamist terrorism

For the duty to remember (Pour le Devoir de Mémoire)

For the duty of truth (Pour le Devoir de Vérité)

For the duty of justice (Pour le Devoir de Justice)

Translated from the original French here: Algérie: Cherifa Kheddar sur le rassemblement à l'occasion du 08 Mars