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 Nationalist leaders were resolving to mark the approaching liberation of
Europe with demonstrations calling for their own liberation, and it was clear
that a clash with the authorities was imminent. The tensions between the Muslim
and colon (French settlers) communities exploded on May 8, 1945, V-E Day, in an outburst of such
violence as to make their polarization complete, if not irreparable. Police had
told the Friends of the Manifesto and Liberty (Amis du Manifeste et de la Liberté
-- AML) organizers they could march in Sétif only if they did not display
nationalist flags or placards. They ignored the warnings, the march began, and
gunfire resulted in which a number of police and demonstrators were killed.
Marchers rampaged, leading to the killing of 103 Europeans. Word spread to the
countryside, and villagers attacked colon settlements and government buildings.
The army and police responded by conducting a prolonged and systematic ratissage
(literally, raking over) of suspected centers of dissidence. In addition,
military airplanes and ships attacked Muslim population centers. According to
official French figures, 1,500 Muslims died as a result of these
countermeasures. Other estimates vary from 6,000 to as high as 45,000 killed.
In the aftermath of the Sétif violence, the AML was outlawed, and 5,460
Muslims, including Abbas, were arrested. Abbas deplored the uprising but charged
that its repression had taken Algeria "back to the days of the
Crusades."
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