Bruno Retailleau announces the arrest of “Doualemn”, a third Algerian influencer

“Don’t let anything pass”. Bruno Retailleau announced Sunday evening on X the arrest of the Algerian influencer Doualemn, in the sights of justice for having made calls for murder online. This is the third Algerian influencer arrested since Friday for comments considered extreme after “Zazou Youcef» And “ Imadtintin ».

The report was made by the mayor of Montpellier Michaël Delafosse. The reaction of the councilor was immediately followed by that of the prefect of Hérault, who announced in a post “intolerable”.

The mayor and the prefect were alerted by an Internet user presenting himself as an Algerian political activist, Chawki Benzehra. The latter, who indicates that he is a refugee in France, shared in a post since deleted by the platform the videos of a content creator, presented under the name “Doualemn” on social networks. Doualemn has nearly 140,000 subscribers on Tik-Tok, a network on which he publishes videos in Arabic almost daily.

“Description of acts of torture”

According to Chawki Benzehra, the influencer in question, who lives in Montpellier and is “famous within the Algerian community in the south of France”would have been guilty “call for murder, apology for torture and anti-Semitic remarks” against “those who wanted to demonstrate on January 1st against the Algerian regime” and in particular of an anti-regime demonstrator.

For Chawki Benzehra, who explained to AFP that he took refuge in France after taking part in pro-democratic demonstrations against power in 2019, the video echoes a “rampant anti-Semitism” which is currently gaining strength according to him in Algeria. “Tell yourself that this individual who makes these remarks and delights in the description of acts of torture records his videos in the city center of Montpellier”he continues in his tweet, since deleted.

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“We are going to rape you all in France”: “Imadtintin”, a second Algerian influencer under OQTF placed in police custody

This scandal is part of the arrests of two other Algerian influencers, “Zazou Youcef» And “ Imadtintin »arrested on January 3. The second had expressed his support for the first, arrested for having called for “commit attacks in France”. In a video that went viral, “imadtintin” had thus called for “burn”, “kill” And “violate” on French soil any individual who opposes the Algerian regime. “I swear to Allah, we are going to rape you all, in Algeria and in France. Here (in France, Editor’s note) those who know how to handle weapons will finish you off (…) No one will defend you in France.”.

The influencer also gave his support to “zazouyoucef”, who was wanted and had been sentenced in December by the Brest criminal court to 12 months of imprisonment for having participated in the 2023 riots. “I am with you Zazou my friend and anyone who wants blood just has to approach”, proclaimed “imadtintin” in a video.

Chawki Benzehra also reported on X the posts of another Algerian influencer, “Onitrazek”who has 35,000 subscribers on Tik-Tok. “The first one to touch Algeria, who tries to bring it down, who tries to create an Arab Spring, (…) We (the Algerian diaspora in France, Editor’s note) are the soldiers from the outside, the soldiers sleeping. We will never let the country down. Mr Tebboune, don’t worry. Continue to make the country sovereign”warned the thirty-year-old in a video shot in his car. “Algeria expelled France. Today, Algeria in 2024, it is stronger than France militarily”Onitrzek further argued.