The Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, published several of your tweets to illustrate that he intended to “let nothing go”, after the calls for violence broadcast by two Algerian influencers, in Brest and Échirolles. Are you the one who raised the alarm for these two files?
Yes. It was my networks in Algeria and France who alerted me myself. For Youcef A, alias ZazouYoucef, I was warned on Sunday, and I very quickly made a report via the Pharos platform, as I already told Télégramme. When I saw that he did it again in another video published on TikTok, and that nothing was still happening, I decided to publish extracts from his first intervention, with subtitles in French, to alert via social networks. It was this video that went viral and apparently contributed to the rapid arrest of its author. For the second, Imad Tintin, another influencer living in Grenoble, I was also alerted by acquaintances. This man supported ZazouYoucef and was even more virulent. This time, I myself was targeted and threatened. The video has been viewed more than 850,000 times and generated more than 6,000 comments, including many threats. I went to file a complaint. And this individual was also arrested in Échirolles.
You introduce yourself as “an Algerian activist who took refuge in France”. Can you tell us more?
My nationality is Algerian. I arrived in France in 2012 to pursue my studies. Today I am a translator-interpreter in Lyon. My criticisms and positions against the military regime in place in my country have earned me a lot of pressure and also several convictions in absentia, for “attacks on the morale of the army” and the “interests of the State or the stability of its institutions. France granted me asylum in December 2023.
Two Algerian influencers who call in quick succession for violence in France against those who wish to demonstrate against the Algerian regime: is this a simple coincidence?
For me, this is anything but a coincidence. Since Friday, I have reported two more cases! And I only report those that seem the most dangerous or the most influential to me. All this is organized. It’s a pack that has been let go. This is a hybrid war led by the Algerian regime to destabilize France. And adding anti-Semitic remarks to the threats is not insignificant. It’s deliberate. The issue is very sensitive in France. The goal is to blow on the embers and sow chaos.
Sowing chaos in France? For what reason?
Tensions between the two countries have continued to deteriorate for several years. But it was the recognition, by Emmanuel Macron, last October, of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, also contested by the Polisario Front supported by Algeria, which really caused a break. This question is the kryptonite of the Algerian regime, the subject that must absolutely not be discussed! Then, there was also the incarceration, in Algeria, in mid-November, of the Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, a fervent defender of fundamental freedoms. Since October, not a day has gone by without the Algerian government and official media calling France into question, which they now describe as “Macronito-Zionist”.
Have the services of the Minister of the Interior contacted you? Do you benefit from protection?
No. But I must admit that all this has taken on a phenomenal scale, which overwhelms me and worries me enormously. I see that the Minister of the Interior takes all this seriously and reacts quickly and firmly. And that’s a very good thing.
letelegramme Fr Trans