Algeria bans Gaza march amid fears of political unrest

Algeria has refused a request from several political parties to organise a large-scale popular march in Algiers in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

The ban, formalised by a document signed by the Interior Ministry’s secretary general, Mahmoud Djamaa, and circulating online, was transmitted to a group of political parties including the Rally for Hope for Algeria, the Workers’ Party and the Movement of Society for Peace.

Scheduled for 7 or 8 August under the slogan “Algeria with Palestine… against starvation and displacement”, the march was intended to demonstrate the Algerian people’s broad support for the Palestinian cause.

However, the ministry urged organisers to limit themselves to “solidarity gatherings” in enclosed spaces, citing a law regulating public meetings and marches.

“The Algerian authorities refuse to authorise any street demonstrations for fear of seeing the return of the Hirak,” Algerian journalist Ali Boukhlef told Middle East Eye, referring to the 2019 massive pro-democracy movement that led to the ouster of longtime President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

After this brief democratic chapter, the political arena was once again locked down and freedom of expression restricted under the rule of current President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

“The Algerian authorities are afraid that opposition parties or unorganised opponents will take advantage of these demonstrations in support of Palestine to turn them into demonstrations against the current regime,” Boukhlef told Middle East Eye.

“The Algerian authorities justify this ban by saying that the Algerian government’s diplomatic efforts are sufficient. There is therefore no point in demonstrating.”

Risk of backfire

Despite the Algerian leadership’s consistent expression of official support for the Palestinian cause, including diplomatic efforts at the United Nations and other international arenas, pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been virtually inexistent in the country since the start of Israel‘s war on Gaza and are heavily supervised.

After the Covid crisis and the authorities’ crackdown on the second anniversary of the Hirak in 2021, pro-democracy marches stopped.

The first authorised demonstration since then was dedicated to supporting Gaza shortly after the start of the war. Held on 19 October 2023, it brought together several thousand people in Algiers and across the country.

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A second authorised demonstration for Gaza took place only last April, gathering around 1,000 people in front of the headquarters of the Movement of Society for Peace, in the capital.

For Boukhlef, however, the Algerian authorities’ strategy risks backfiring by fuelling popular frustration.

“The reality is that anger is simmering, and the flame of the 2019 Hirak protests has not yet been extinguished,” he told MEE.

In Morocco, which has seen large pro-Palestinian demonstrations despite its growing ties with Israel and the detention of several pro-Palestine activists, some media outlets and social media commentators seized the opportunity to castigate the Algerian authorities.

Diplomatic relations between the North African neighbours were broken off by Algeria four years ago, due, among other reasons, to the kingdom’s normalisation deal with Israel.

“By refusing a march dedicated to the Palestinian cause, the Algerian authorities are revealing a latent fear: that of seeing a solidarity demonstration turn into a platform for domestic protest,” wrote one Moroccan media outlet.

“Behind the fiery rhetoric of support for just causes lies a strategy of locking down the political arena, where any popular mobilisation is perceived as a potential threat to the regime. This choice of preemptive stifling speaks volumes about the priorities of the current system: preserving its authority, even if it means sacrificing the principles it proudly holds on the international stage.”