30th Anniversary of the Events of May 1945
May 8, 1945 – May 8, 1975 Sétif – Guelma – Kherrata
In Guelma, 200 km east of Sétif, demonstrations began on May 8, 1945 around 5 p.m. The procession which was heading towards the war memorial was blocked by sub-prefect Achiary. Accompanied by police officers, he came to prohibit the demonstrators from advancing. He demanded immediate dispersal. Standing in the way, the sub-prefect takes out his weapon and shoots in the air to disperse the demonstration, but the crowd continues to advance.
Achiary is pushed and the police charge then shoot into the crowd. Flag bearer Boumaza El Hamdi collapsed, while other demonstrators were injured with bayonets. There is general confusion. Protesters throw stones at colonial police officers. The sub-prefect immediately established a curfew and gave the order to arm the European settler militia.
Information on the Sétif massacres reaches Guelma. Emotion is high in the douars and many find refuge in the mountains to escape the repression. A real hunt for nationalist activists is organized. All the players of the Espérance sportive guelmoise football team were executed because a club leader was suspected of being active in the national movement.
The corpses are brought to the church square, doused with gasoline and burned. Other bodies are taken to the lime kilns of Heliopolis. The entry into action of the military and the gendarmes is synonymous with an organized massacre. Armored cars shoot passers-by in the streets and on the roads. Planes flying low drop rockets and machine-gun the mechtas. Mass graves are dug near the douars and cannot even contain the impressive number of corpses. Entire villages in the Guelma region are wiped off the map.
In Guelma, 200 km east of Sétif, demonstrations began on May 8, 1945 around 5 p.m. The procession which was heading towards the war memorial was blocked by sub-prefect Achiary. Accompanied by police officers, he came to prohibit the demonstrators from advancing. He demanded immediate dispersal. Standing in the way, the sub-prefect takes out his weapon and shoots in the air to disperse the demonstration, but the crowd continues to advance.
Achiary is pushed and the police charge then shoot into the crowd. Flag bearer Boumaza El Hamdi collapsed, while other demonstrators were injured with bayonets. There is general confusion. Protesters throw stones at colonial police officers. The sub-prefect immediately established a curfew and gave the order to arm the European settler militia.
Information on the Sétif massacres reaches Guelma. Emotion is high in the douars and many find refuge in the mountains to escape the repression. A real hunt for nationalist activists is organized. All the players of the Espérance sportive guelmoise football team were executed because a club leader was suspected of being active in the national movement.
The corpses are brought to the church square, doused with gasoline and burned. Other bodies are taken to the lime kilns of Heliopolis. The entry into action of the military and the gendarmes is synonymous with an organized massacre. Armored cars shoot passers-by in the streets and on the roads. Planes flying low drop rockets and machine-gun the mechtas. Mass graves are dug near the douars and cannot even contain the impressive number of corpses. Entire villages in the Guelma region are wiped off the map.