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May 19 - National Student Day

The day of May 19, 1956 was a sign of the commitment of Algerian youth to the noble principles of November 1, 1954, and the strengthening of their active participation in the national liberation struggle. Indeed, responding to the call of the General Union of Algerian Muslim Students, students, all levels and disciplines combined, abandoned the benches in the service of the homeland, preferring armed struggle to defend the national cause. However, this date is not a coincidence. The student movement has never remained on the sidelines of the historical events that Algeria has experienced. On the contrary, since its creation in 1919, it has remained present alongside the national movement, going through several stages both inside the country and outside. North African in dimension, at the beginning of its existence, it became national after the departure of Tunisia and Morocco. Thus was born, in 1955, the General Union of Algerian Students. The objective nevertheless remained the same: to resist the colonial presence and policies. The student association's call for a strike had a profound impact on Algerian students abroad, particularly in France, Tunisia and Morocco, who joined their comrades en masse, ignoring threats from the French authorities. May 19, 1956 was, without a doubt, a crowning moment in the efforts of students to unite and show solidarity around the fundamental objective of the people and the nation: independence. It is also a sign of the maturity and consciousness of the Algerian elite challenging one of the greatest colonial powers of the time. Today, almost half a century later, in commemoration of this glorious day, we can only bow to the memory of those who sacrificed an almost assured future to serve a cause greater in their eyes: that of an entire people.