Algerian influencer “Doualemn” no longer has to leave France. His previous obligation to leave French territory (OQTF) was rescinded on Feb. 6 by a judge at the administrative court of Melun who considered the original order “unjustified.” The French Ministry of the Interior, however, will “appeal and continue the expulsion procedure,” FranceInfo reports.
In the emergency hearing, the judge “ordered the prefectural authority to re-examine the situation of the person concerned within three months and to issue him a provisional residence permit during the time of this re-examination.”
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau immediately indicated to AFP that the ruling to allow “Doualemn” to remain on French territory would be appealed.
The 59-year-old Algerian national, official name of Doualemn Naman, was arrested on Jan. 5 in Montpellier after posting a video on his TikTok account with 168,000 subscribers calling for violence against an Algerian anti-regime protester, specifically, “Kill him, let him suffer.” Supporters of Doualemn have claimed his words were mistranslated.
Ultimately, this last court decided that he had merely caused incitement to “catch” a man and inflict a “severe correction” on him.
The prefect of Hérault had previously considered that his remarks justified the withdrawal of his residence permit and his expulsion. After his return to Paris by Algerian authorities on Jan. 9, the same day he had been deported, Minister Retailleau claimed Algeria was seeking to humiliate France. Algeria, for its part, claimed France had denied Doualemn due process. And with this, tensions between the two countries soared.
Relations between France and Algeria had already been souring for some time. Last summer, Paris announced its support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for the disputed territory of Western Sahara, while the European Parliament passed a resolution last week demanding that Algeria release imprisoned critics of the current government, including the writer Boualem Sansal.
Since the arrest of Doualemn, several other Algerian “influencers” have been arrested, with some awaiting trial. After his return, Doualemn had been held in the administrative detention center of Mesnil-Amelot (Seine-et-Marne).
“Doualem is out of detention,” his lawyers, Marie David-Bellouard and Julie Gonidec, said, adding that the “ferocious and blind” actions taken against him have been “punished.”
“The ministry has gambled and lost. We have been denouncing illegal detention since January 29 and welcome a logical decision that puts an end to it,” they said.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has called on France to take a tougher stance against Algeria, namely in the case of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, currently imprisoned in Algeria, but also in terms of past disputes and the actions of anti-French activists on French soil, such as Doualemn. He has also suggested cutting the number of short-term visas granted to Algerians until the government starts accepting those citizens it sends back.
“We must fundamentally transform our relationship with Algeria (…), we must establish a balance of power,” he said, once again demanding the reconsideration of the 1968 agreement on the conditions for welcoming Algerian nationals in France and the reestablishment of visas for Algerian diplomats.
