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Sculpture of Algerian hero vandalised in France
Vandals in central France attacked a sculpture of an Algerian military hero who resisted France's colonisation of the North African country.
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French and European flags fly in front of a sculpture in tribute to Algerian national hero Abdelkader, untitled 'Passage Abdelkader', created by artist Michel Audiard, in Amboise, central France, on February 5, 2022. (AFP/Guillaume Souvant)
V
andals in central France attacked a sculpture of an Algerian military hero who resisted France's colonisation of the North African country, just hours before it was inaugurated Saturday as a symbol of Franco-Algerian reconciliation.
The lower part of the steel sculpture in the town of Amboise, where Emir Abdelkader was imprisoned from 1848 to 1852, was badly damaged in the attack which comes in the midst of an election campaign dominated by harsh rhetoric on immigration and Islam.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement: "Let us remember what unites us. The Republic will not erase any trace or name from its history. It will not forget any of its works. It will not tear down any statues."
Meanwhile Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, speaking at the Paris launch of he Forum of Islam in France, condemned the "profoundly stupid" act.
Amboise mayor Thierry Boutard said he was "ashamed" of those responsible and decided to proceed with the inauguration ceremony regardless.
Police said no one had claimed responsibility for the vandalism.
'Unspeakable baseness'
