Last year, he defended civilian casualties in Israeli military operations against Hamas and Hezbollah, stating that they were “necessary”. [Getty]
Algeria has filed a legal complaint in a French court against Louis Sarkozy, the son of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, after he allegedly suggested setting fire to the Algerian embassy in Paris.
On Wednesday, the Algerian government, acting through its embassy in Paris, formally lodged a complaint with the French judiciary over what it described as “serious remarks and threats” against its diplomatic mission, according to the Algerian news site TSA, which cited an anonymous official source.
The controversy stems from an interview published on 13 February in French daily Le Monde, in which Louis Sarkozy made comments that Algiers has since condemned as a “serious transgression.”
“If I were in charge and Algeria arrested [writer] Boualem Sansal, I would burn the embassy, stop all visas, and increase customs tariffs by 150%,” Sarkozy said.
Sarkozy’s son was referring to the case of Franco-Algerian author Sansal, a major figure in modern francophone literature, who was arrested last November at the Algiers airport on national security charges.
The case has become a rallying point for critics of Algeria‘s government. French officials, including President Emmanuel Macron, have since called for the writer’s release, arguing that trust between the two nations cannot be fully restored while he remains detained.
Louis Sarkozy’s remarks, made against the backdrop of deepening tensions between Algiers and Paris, sparked immediate outrage in both countries.
Now, the France-based anti-racism group SOS Racisme is taking him to court over “incitement to a criminal act” and an alarming “normalisation of calls for violence.”
Separately, Union Algérienne, a Lyon-based association, filed another complaint against him.
The younger Sarkozy, who has oscillated between various pursuits—from launching a Freud-inspired loafer brand to writing a biography of Napoleon—is no stranger to controversy.
Last year, he defended civilian casualties in Israeli military operations against Hamas and Hezbollah, stating that they were “necessary” to prevent terrorists from using civilians as shields.
“Let them all die. Israel is doing the work of humanity here”, he said last September in an interview with the French news channel LCI.
Deeping France-Algeria crisis
The statements of Louis, son of a former French President, mark yet another flashpoint in the already strained diplomatic relations between Algeria and France.
Tensions have been escalating since July, when current French President Emmanuel Macron recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara—a move that angered Algiers, which backs the separatist Polisario Front.
Moreover, Algeria‘s refusal to admit several of its nationals deported by France for “security reasons” further deepened the rift.
The French government has since threatened to review a decades-old agreement that facilitates Algerian migration to France unless Algiers agrees to take back those subject to deportation.
A deadly attack in the French city of Mulhouse, allegedly carried out by an Algerian national, has further inflamed political discourse in Paris, where far-right voices are seizing on the incident to call for tougher immigration policies against Algerians, painting the North African state as a “security threat.”
Macron has attempted to dial down the rhetoric, calling for a “deep re-engagement” on migration talks.
However, the crisis seems to be escalating to a full diplomatic freeze, as Algeria is reported to have suspended its consular relations and services in several municipal districts in France.
