Front Algérie Française

The Front de l'Algérie Française (French Algerian Front, FAF) was a political and militant movement in favour of French Algeria, created in 1960 in Algiers. Its founder was Said Boualam.

In a short time, the organisation had 400,000 members and by November 1960 this had grown to a million of which 40% were Muslims, although this is disputed and what Muslim members there were had left by December. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,895136-1,00.html Voice Out of Silence] Time magazine - December 26, 1960 ] Its core membership were Pieds noirs and the Harkis.

The organisation was banned by the French Authorities on December 24, 1960.

Among the activities organised by the front, was a general strike in the country. Strikers included forty civil servants and the Front attempted to force the Algerians to join as well.

On November 11 1961, a demonstration called by the Front degenerated into violence. A few weeks later, the Front called for the visit of the president Charles de Gaulle to be violently opposed and for the army to mutiny against the government's orders.

The acronym "FAF" has remained in the French language, where its use is associated with far right groups and ideas, perhaps due to another meaning of "France aux Français" (France for the French). However, the abbreviation has other uses both in and outside France. See FAF.

ee also

*Organisation armée secrète
*Algerian War

References