Algeria: Parliament Rejects Inclusion Of 8 May 1945 In List Of National Holidays

The deputies of the National People’s Assembly on Monday rejected a proposal put forth by the Workers Party to include May 8, 1945, the anniversary of the horrendous massacres committed by French colonialism, in the national holiday roster.
The Workers Party had proposed that the eighth of May be turned every year as a national holiday given that it is regarded as a national and central event and a turning point in the history of Algeria.
On the other hand, the Assembly’s 283 deputies voted for the inclusion of the Amazigh New Year or Yennayer in the list of national holidays on the grounds that the aim of the project is to enshrine the provisions of the new constitutional amendments that recognize Tamazight as a national and official language and as an embodiment of the initiatives taken by the President of the Republic for the latter’s promotion.
For several months, the Secretary-General of the Workers Party, Ms Louisa Hanoune, had called on the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, to mark the 8th of May 1945 as a paid national holiday, as the huge sacrifices of 8 May 1945 paved the way for the outbreak of the glorious November Revolution.
“This historic day, May 8, 1945, represents a dark period in the history of colonial France in Algeria, on the one hand, and perpetuates the continuing heroism of the Algerian people on the other hand,” she argued to this effect.