POLICE BREAK UP DEMONSTRATION IN ALGIERS; OTHERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 001360 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/22/2016 TAGS: PREL ASEC PGOV PHUM KDEM AG SUBJECT: POLICE BREAK UP DEMONSTRATION IN ALGIERS; OTHERS UNDER DISCUSSION REF: A. ALGIERS 1311 ¶B. ALGIERS 1305 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Marc J. Sievers, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) POLICE BREAK UP JULY 20 MARCH -------------- ¶1. (SBU) The Movement for a Society of Peace (MSP),a moderate Islamist party belonging to the presidential coalition, attempted to organize a peaceful march July 20 from the First of May shopping area to the UN offices in Algiers to protest Israeli military operations in Lebanon and express solidarity with the Lebanese people. A shopkeeper told us that police forcibly broke up the demonstrators as they were organizing the march that morning at 1100 local time. (Note: Marches and demonstrations in the city of Algiers are banned under the Emergency Law in existence since the terrorist violence of the 1990s. End Note.) According to the shopkeeper, the police told the demonstrators they could not march without a permit. When the assembled demonstrators (reportedly including the former number two of the banned FIS party Ali Benhadj but not MSP party leader Abu Djerra Soltani) refused to go home peacefully, the police, according to this source, used truncheons and batons to break up the group and arrested a number of persons. (The Algerian press reported July 22 that 15 protesters were arrested but that all of them were later released and all charges against them dropped after unspecified negotiations with the authorities. Some papers protested the alleged beating of a journalist by the police.) ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE MARCH OCCURS -------------- ¶2. (U) Algerian press reports of July 22 quoted MSP party leader Soltani accusing the police of "making arrests and insulting and repressing" the assembled marchers. In the statement he issued July 21, Soltani regretted the way the police acted and called for "the lifting of the state of emergency and for pressure on the powers that be to permit the holding of marches in the capital." The press also reported July 22 that Soltani and the two other leaders of the presidential coalition parties (including FLN party head and Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem) held discussions about organizing in the coming week a march sponsored by all parties of the presidential coalition. Such a march would most likely take place July 27, the first day of the Algerian weekend. Given the GOA's calls for the Arab world to unite and support the Lebanese people (see reftels),the organization of some kind of public solidarity rally is bound to take place; the question is when and where it will occur, as well as what format the security authorities will allow. MSP SEEKING OUTLET FOR "ENRAGED" ALGERIAN PUBLIC, BUT AWARE THAT ARAB OPINION IS DIVIDED -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) Separately, MSP National Assembly member Abdelkarim Dahmen told Charge July 19 that his party's leadership had decided to call for popular demonstrations in support of the Palestinian and Lebanese people, but they realized that the security authorities were unlikely to allow street demonstrations to take place and MSP would not seek a confrontation. Dahmen said that younger MSP members were pushing the party's leadership to organize demonstrations, adding that the party was trying to offer a peaceful outlet for what he termed an "enraged" Algerian public opinion. Dahmen went on to note, however, that MSP was aware that Arab opinion outside Algeria was more complex. He said the MSP leadership had requested to pay a courtesy call on Lebanese Ambassador Elias Fattal and present him a wreath in memory of Lebanese civilians killed by Israeli bombing, but had been rebuffed by Ambassador Fattal, who refused to receive the delegation. Dahmen speculated that Fattal, a Christian, did not want his embassy to be associated with Hizballah in any way. ¶4. (C) Iraqi Ambassador Ziyad Khalid (protect) later confirmed to Charge that Lebanese Ambassador Fattal, whom Khalid knows well, despises Hizballah and would not want to be associated with any actions by Algerian political parties that could be construed as supporting Hizballah. Ambassador Khalid further commented to Charge that he personally thought Israeli military action against Hizballah should continue since, if Israel succeeded in crippling Hizballah, it would have an ultimately beneficial effect for Iraq as well because it would represent a strategic setback for Iran. COMMENT: POST MONITORING EVENTS CLOSELY -------------- ¶5. (SBU) In light of public anger and the Emergency Law, post believes the authorities are engaged with the political parties on planning a rally or demonstration that will be well orchestrated and tightly controlled. While any demonstration would likely stay well clear of U.S. property and interests, we are monitoring the situation closely, especially since a U.S. Coast Guard vessel visit is planned for the same July 27 date being discussed for organizing a solidarity event of some kind. SIEVERS