Map of Algeria showing Setif province

The Setif massacre was an attack on Algerian protesters by colonial French soldiers on May 8, 1945, the same day that Germany surrendered in World War II. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... World map of colonialism at the end of the Second World War in 1945. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day or VE Day) was May 8, 1945, the date when the Allies during the Second World War formally celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitlers Third Reich. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War (sometimes WW2 or WWII), was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as...

Anti-French sentiment had been building across Algeria for months, leading to thousand-person protests in such cities as Mostaganem in the previous weeks. With the end of the European war, fifteen thousand protesters took to the streets of Setif, a town in northern Algeria, to press new demands for independence on the colonial government. Mostaganem (population 125,000) is a city in Mostaganem province, in the northwest of Algeria. ... Setif is a city and wilaya in Algeria in which an uprising occurred against the French colonizers. ...

The French Army responded with overwhelming force. At around 9 AM on May 8, a crowd chanting "Vive l'independence!" marched on the French forces after the French forces had shot at the flag-carriers, angry to see a flag other than the French flag in the then French colony. French commander General Duval gave the order to fire on the largely unarmed crowds, using machine guns, killing thousands. Saal Bouzid, a young boy carrying the Algerian flag, was among the first to fall, making him an instant martyr to the resistance movement. French soldiers of the IFOR in Mostar, 1995. ... Historically, a martyr is a person who dies for their religious faith, such as during the persecution of early Christians in the Roman Empire. ...

The French moved swiftly to contain the protests, attacking the neighborhoods and surrounding villages of both Setif and nearby Guelma with artillery and air force bombers. Arbitrary murder and rape by the French forces ensued. The attacks continued until the formal surrender of the tribes on May 22. The ultimate death toll remains contentious, with Algeria claiming more than 45,000 dead, while initial French estimates claimed only 1,500 casualties; France later revised its estimate up to 20,000 dead. In a series of reprisal assassinations following the violence, 104 Europeans were killed. More than half of the victims were women or children. Guelma (Arabic:ولاية قالمة ) is a wilaya in eastern Algeria. ... Historically, artillery refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ... A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... In warfare, a reprisal is a limited and deliberate violation of the laws of war to punish an enemy for breaking the laws of war. ... It has been suggested that Targeted killing be merged into this article or section. ... World map showing Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ...

In February 2005, Hubert Colin de Verdière, France's ambassador to Algeria, formally apologized for the massacre, calling it an "inexcusable tragedy."[1] 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• France's Unfinished Business
• PARIS' GAME TURNS AGAINST DUE TO ALGERIA