News Junkie

Of course I’ve never seen the Massacre at Sakiet III by Andre Fougeron because I only just heard about it today

The Tate Modern caption is as follows. It doesn’t explicitly mention the murder of children that the French state performed during the bombing of Sakiet.

The bombing of Sakiet by the French colonial government took place during the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962). It was an important decolonial war, securing Algeria’s freedom. On 8 February 1958, the French air force crossed the border into Tunisia. They attacked Sakiet Sidi Yousef, a village which the French government claimed was being used as a base by Algerian fighters. It resulted in the deaths of 68 civilians. Fougeron’s painting, completed a few months later, provoked controversy. The line of military boots at the top points to official French involvement in the massacre, something that was still under debate at the time. The war is now known for the French government’s brutal method, including its use of torture.

Given how normal it is to see children brutalized in the Middle East today, this painting is sadly increasingly timely.