WHILE France celebrated the anniversary of victory over the Nazis on Wednesday, Algeria marked the French colonial crackdown on Algerian independence activists 79 years ago.

Both events took place on May 8, 1945.

In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron laid a wreath at the eternal flame beneath the Napoleon-era Arc de Triomphe, honouring those killed fighting the Nazis and marking the end of World War II in Europe.

At the time of the war, Algeria was the crown jewel in France’s colonial empire, and Algerian soldiers were among those sent to fight for France in Europe.

In Algiers on Wednesday, ceremonies were held to honour demonstrators who took to the streets in the towns of Guelma, Setif and Kherrata to call for freedom from French rule.

“On this day we are remembering the massacres of May 8, 1945, committed by the coloniser with extreme brutality and cruelty, to repress a growing national activist movement that had resulted in massive demonstrations expressing the revolt of the Algerian people and its aspiration to freedom and emancipation,” Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said in a statement.

They were unusually strong remarks from the Algerian leader, and a reminder of the lingering tensions with France more than 60 years after Algeria won its independence in a painful 1954-1962 war.

Algeria and France retain close economic, security and energy ties, but the question of historical justice remains a sore spot.

Mr Tebboune is expected to raise it on a trip to France later this year. The issue of historical memory “will remain at the centre of our concerns until it enjoys an objective treatment that pays justice to historical truth,” he said.

During a visit to Algeria in 2022, Mr Macron agreed to create a commission of historians from both countries to make proposals for reconciliation.

The commission released proposals this year, including returning documents and artefacts from French archives to Algeria.

Algerian politicians have also sought financial reparations over French nuclear tests in the Sahara — and, most importantly, an official apology from France for colonial-era crimes.