The Paris massacre of 1961 occurred on 17 October 1961, during the Algerian War (1954–62). Under orders from the head of the Parisian police, Maurice Papon, the French National Police attacked a demonstration by 30,000 pro-National Liberation Front (FLN) Algerians. After 37 years of denial and censorship of the press, in 1998 the French government finally acknowledged 40 deaths, although there are estimates of 100 to 300 victims. Death was due to heavy-handed beating by the police, as well as mass drownings, as police officers threw demonstrators into the river Seine.
There were multiple episodes of violence between French police and the French Algerian community during the Algerian War. The police department was racist on an institutional level and terrorized Algerians with violence; pro-liberation Algerians targeted and killed police with bombing campaigns.
It was in this context that the head of the Parisian police, Maurice Papon (a former Nazi collaborator later convicted of crimes against humanity) ordered police to kill Algerians, insisting that they would be protected from any consequences.
Under these orders, the French National Police attacked a demonstration by 30,000 pro-National Liberation Front (FLN) Algerians on October 17th, beating dozens to death and throwing people into the Seine river, where many drowned.
Forty years after the massacre, on 17 October 2001, Bertrand Delanoë, the Socialist Mayor of Paris, put up a plaque in remembrance of the massacre on the Pont Saint-Michel. How many demonstrators were killed is still unclear. In the absence of official estimates, the plaque commemorating the massacre reads, "In memory of the many Algerians killed during the bloody repression of the peaceful demonstration of 17 October 1961"
October 17, 1961: A massacre of Algerians in the heart of Paris 
Megathreads and spaces to hang out:
- ❤️ Come listen to music and Watch movies with your fellow Hexbears nerd, in Cy.tube
- 💖 Come talk in the New Weekly Queer thread
- 💛 Read and talk about a current topics in the News Megathread
- 💚 Come and talk in the Daily Bloomer Thread
- ⭐️ September Movie Nominations ⭐️
reminders:
- 💚 You nerds can join specific comms to see posts about all sorts of topics
- 💙 Hexbear’s algorithm prioritizes comments over upbears
- 💜 Sorting by new you nerd
- 🌈 If you ever want to make your own megathread, you can reserve a spot here nerd
- 🐶 Join the unofficial Hexbear-adjacent Mastodon instance toots.matapacos.dog
Links To Resources (Aid and Theory):
Aid:
Theory:
cw for all the bad stuff that's been going on lately
is anyone else finding it really hard to connect with the terrible things happening recently? like I read the stories about hospitals being bombed and arab children being stabbed by landlords and I think its bad but I dont get angry or upset, I just kind of take it in. my convictions and beliefs are firmly with palestine and against suffering and I know I should be feeling some righteous anger but I just dont. its like Ive become so desensitized to everything bad that I cant even summon any strong emotions
It's normal, it's a defence mechanism when put under intense feelings for a long time, you become numb in order to be able to go through it.
It's ok to take a break from the world now and then to do something that relaxes you, mental health is very important.
However you're feeling is okay, comrade
We live in actual hellworld. In order to get through the day you need to be desensitized. All of us just lived through a mass death event where 20 million people died from a virus in 3 years. The only correct response to that is to lay on the ground and weep. But we can't even begin to process that emotionally because living in capitalism forces you to become completely desentisized