The massacre of July 14, 1953 in Paris was an event in which the French police intentionally and without warning opened fire, causing 7 deaths (six Algerians and one French) and hospitalizing around 60 protesters and police officers. The incident occurred at the end of a parade organized by the French Communist Party (PCF) and the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) to celebrate the "values of the Republic" on the occasion of the French national holiday. It is part of the "massacres in Paris," including the massacre on February 6, 1934 (15 deaths), the massacre on October 17, 1961 (between 7 and over 200 deaths, according to different estimates), and the massacre at Charonne subway (9 deaths on February 8, 1962).
Between and people marched in the streets on July 14, 1953, with half of them being part of a significant Algerian procession of to individuals led by the Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties (MTLD). Up until that point, the parade had been peaceful, but tragedy struck when the last protesters reached Place de la Nation. Within a few minutes, dozens of shots were fired at the MTLD procession.
Following the massacre, demonstrations on May 1 and July 14 were prohibited by the authorities for a period of 14 years, until the parade on May 1, 1968. This significant event also signaled the conclusion of the traditional popular parades held during the fête nationale française in the capital.
This tragedy, amid the repression of Algerian nationalism and serious events in Morocco and Tunisia, occurred a little over a year before the start of the Algerian War on November 1, 1954.
It wasn't until the early 2010s that the first books entirely devoted to this event appeared, and it was not until the commemoration of the 64th anniversary of the demonstration in 2017 that the Paris City Hall made the first official recognition of this massacre by placing a commemorative plaque on a building in Place de l'Île-de-la-Réunion.
Historical context
Rising Algerian immigration
Algerian immigration experienced a significant increase just after World War II. The North African population in mainland France was estimated at in 1946 and in 1952, which represents eightfold growth in six years. Predominantly consisting of male workers, this population primarily worked in construction and metallurgy. However, they were accused of being involved in "more shameful trafficking" and blamed for increasing criminality, as certain sections of the press disseminated racist discourses such as, "Their morality is questionable. [...] They lack a sense of responsibility, their carelessness, their fatalism in these mines and steel mills, where death lurks from all sides, can lead to the worst disasters."
Participation of MTLD in popular parades Since 1936, with an interruption under Vichy and German occupation, the French Communist Party (PCF), the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), and various associated movements such as the League of Human Rights have organized a parade in Paris to celebrate the "values of the Republic" on the national holiday. And since 1950, the Algerian independence activists of the Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties (MTLD), led by Messali Hadj, have taken part in the parade, despite their differences with the French Communists, who have not yet declared their support for Algerian independence, even though they demonstrated and went on strike in 1949-1950 for the independence of Indochina, at the initiative of the Indochinese Communists. The "Algerian" part of the parades quickly became very prominent, reaching one-third or even half of the May 1 parade in 1953, according to estimates.
Emmanuel BlanchardEmmanuel Blanchard is a French historian, political scientist, and lecturer. He is also a researcher at the Center for Sociological Research on Law and Criminal Institutions (CESDIP). Among his works is the book "La Police parisienne et les Algériens, 1944–1962," published in 2011. recalls that during the demonstrations of the early 1950s, it was "difficult to distinguish among these protesters the Communist sympathizers from the Messalists."
Messali Hadj had created the MTLD in 1946 to serve as a legal cover for the Algerian People's Party, an independence organization banned in 1939, which had 20,000 militants in Algeria and 5,000 in metropolitan France in 1953. Their demands also concerned mainland France: wage equality, legalization of Muslim holidays, and an annual trip to North Africa.
While the Vietnamese fighting the Indochina War participated in demonstrations organized by the PCF and CGT, which also involved dockworkers in Oran or Casablanca, some Algerians in France were the only ones to resort to independent processions for their political demands. This activism was severely repressed, like the opposition to the Indochina War, through bans on demonstrations, police checks, and raids. Participating in these independent processions became a challenge for the MTLD, even though they disagreed with the organizers. They decided to participate, with their own demands, in the demonstrations on two symbolic dates in France: May 1 and July 14.
Three years of repression of Algerian activism
In September 1950, 3,000 Algerians protested outside the printing house of the National Press Enterprises located on Rue Réaumur, against the non-publication of the newspaper L'Algérie Libre. The prefecture of police announced the arrest of 1,127 protesters. In December, around thirty Algerians attacked the Belleville police station following the arrest of two individuals.
In April 1951, a demonstration by the MTLD was banned, and law enforcement forces caused several injuries while arresting 150 Algerians. The event was covered by journalist Madeleine Riffaud, who had been closely following the issue of immigrants in La Vie Ouvrière (CGT) alongside her partner at the time, Roger Pannequin. Both were former heroes of the Resistance and involved with the MOI (Main-d'Œuvre Immigrée) in the PCF (French Communist Party). Riffaud became associated with the MTLD led by Messali Hadj, and she attended meetings in Saint-Denis and near Place de la République. She took an interest in the condition of Algerian workers in France and embarked on a major investigation on the subject.
On May 1, significant Algerian processions were observed in Douai, Lens, Lille, Valenciennes, and, of course, Paris, where the MTLD marched for the second time in separate ranks but still within the general demonstration. Banners displayed the slogan "L'Algérie aux Algériens" ("Algeria for Algerians"). Madeleine Riffaud, who was gaining a significant reputation, wrote a report titled "Un 1er Mai historique" ("A Historic 1st of May").
Algerian flags were raised, leading to the intervention of law enforcement, resulting in 68 injuries and the arrest of hundreds of people. A police raid, a commonly used term at the time, was conducted on Algerian workers at Salle Wagram.In December, the MTLD planned to hold a meeting with representatives from Arab countries at the United Nations. The police carried out 5,900 arrests around the Vélodrome d'Hiver, near metro stations, and in the suburbs. Algerians were held and questioned for several hours in the former Beaujon hospital and Parc Monceau.
On May 1, 1952, the participation of Algerian workers was more significant. Law enforcement intervened again to confiscate banners calling for Algerian independence. The police even used firearms in Douai. On May 23, 300,000 Algerians went on strike to protest the police repression that occurred on May 14 in Orléansville, Algeria, where the police fired on the crowd with machine guns, resulting in two deaths and numerous injuries. In the evening, Messali Hadj was arrested and deported to mainland France, where he was placed under house arrest. Three Algerians were killed in Charleville, Le Havre, and Montbéliard, hundreds of people were injured, and dozens of arrests were made. On May 28, Algerian communist Hocine Bélaïd was killed near Place de Stalingrad during a demonstration against the visit of American General Matthew Ridgway, who was accused of using bacteriological weapons in the Korean War. In December, a new prohibited MTLD meeting at the Vélodrome d'Hiver led to 3,000 arrests in the Grenelle district.
On May 1, 10,000 Algerians participated in demonstrations in Douai, Lille, Paris, Valenciennes, and other cities. Police intervened in Anzin and Valenciennes to prevent protesters from raising the Algerian flag. Police charges resulted in around a hundred injuries and 200 arrests.
It is within this period marked by repression that the popular parade of July 14 takes place.
Course of the demonstration The military parade takes place in the morning on the Champs-Élysées, while the popular parade is organized in the afternoon under the guidance of the Peace Movement.
The Mouvement de la Paix, officially established in 1949, aims to unite peace supporters worldwide. In France, it receives support from the Communist Party.
According to the Paris Police Prefecture, the procession consists of 10,000 to 15,000 demonstrators, classifying the July 14, 1953, demonstration as a smaller-scale event.
The protesters follow a traditional route from Bastille to Nation through the rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine.
Communist procession The leading procession of the demonstration sets off around 3 p.m. Veterans march at the forefront, followed by General and Senator Ernest Petit, officers and non-commissioned officers, the Peace Movement, the Progressive Union, the People's Aid, the Union of Republican Youth of France, the Union of Communist Students, the Popular Music Federation with the Popular Chorus of Paris, the Union of French Women, CGT (General Confederation of Labor), Radio-Liberté, the Committee for the Defense of Democratic Liberties in Black Africa, British Democrats, and organizations from the Paris suburbs. The MTLD (Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties) and the Paris Federation of the French Communist Party bring up the rear.
The main slogans of this procession are the defense of liberties (the procession carries a banner at its head saying "Union for the Defense of Republican Liberties"), the release of those imprisoned in Fresnes ("Free Henri Martin!"), and peace in Indochina.
Messalist Procession The decision to march on July 14 was made on July 2 at the headquarters of the MTLD (Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties). According to lawyer Amar Bentoumi, who would become the first Minister of Justice in Algeria in 1962, and historian Daho Djerbal, the Messalist demonstration was organized by Mohamed Boudiaf and Didouche Mourad, two of the six future founders of the National Liberation Front (FLN). The MTLD mobilized its forces for this demonstration by distributing 50,000 copies of the following leaflet:
The authorities were not idle either. On the eve of the demonstration, they made arrests in the Latin Quarter, including the arrest of the president of Algerian students. Leaflets were also distributed advising against attending the demonstration. Nevertheless, the supporters of the MTLD turned out in large numbers on July 14, 1954. The "Muslims of Algeria" numbered between 6,000 and 8,000, about a third of the demonstration, marching behind a large portrait of Messali Hadj, in close ranks, and most of them wearing their Sunday best. This second procession was composed of 6 sections, each consisting of about fifty ranks. Each rank comprised around ten demonstrators. The security service occupied 10 ranks at the front and rear of the procession. A total of 270 people secured the sides.
Messali Hadj's daughter, Djanina Messali-Benkelfat, who led the procession, described the parade to Daniel Kupferstein: