Idk if anyone else has ever had this experience but in my various travels one thing I noticed is that basically everyone in Europe, the Middle East & North Africa are racist against Algerians.

Most of these travels were between 2009-2010, although some happened earlier (2008) or later (2015). Yet the pattern was consistent: numerous people from every country to which I travelled was inexplicably racist against Algerians & it was presented as common sense.

I have no idea if, 5-10 years on this is still the prevailing wisdom. I haven’t travelled to Europe, North Africa or the Middle East in a long time with the exception of Spain in 2015.

And obviously my sample was biased, as I usually talked to people in tourism & services, on one hand, and people on left activism, academia, and the arts, on the other, plus a fair number of retirees & cafe regulars, in every place.

But, that said, many people with whom I talked or whom I would overhear, would often make similar comments to each other & other people, and, frequently, people were worried about offending *me* so I don’t think the comments were due to them assuming what I would like to hear

In Europe I think it’s somewhat obvious—in France especially, but also Spain, Italy, Germany & strangely enough Poland, people would expound their race theories ad libitum which often included the line “listen I quite like North Africans—except for the Algerians”

When I was would be like “uh why though?” People would look at me as though I were either ignorant or just a “highly naive wide eyed American humanitarian leftist” in one Frenchmen’s words who “doesn’t know the reality” bc I am “too sympathetic to the poor & seemingly oppressed”

They said that my disposition to believe people would get me taken advantage of, and that if I lived there for long enough I’d eventually get a rude awakening about the true reality. I was like damn tru tho but u still didn’t answer my question lol

In Palestine I was told Algeria was an unsavory & untrustworthy political ally, and that Algerians are “almost as dishonest as the Israelis”. An Israeli leftist—doing solidarity work— I met said he liked Algerians individually but that they had a horrible corrupt government.

In Turkey, people told me that Algerian immigrants were ruining everything for Turkey because they’re giving Muslim immigrants a bad name, and people take it out on Turkish immigrants & Turkey, which deserves its rightful place in the EU.

One thing I noticed in Turkey a lot was a nationwide “were not like other girls” complex, except the “other girls” were the entire Muslim world, the association with whom many Turks emphatically wished to shed.

When I flew to Egypt and my luggage went missing—and, as it turns out, was in fact stolen—whenever I told anyone in Cairo they’d ask “Did you fly Air France? — Lots of Algerians work for them” and then everyone would nod understandingly as tho this was sufficient explanation

When I explained I flew Air Turkiye, and my luggage getting stolen was largely my own stupid fault for leaving a piece of jewelry i had bought in my checked bags, more than one person said “hmm well nonetheless a lot of Algerians work at the airport”

On the flight from Egypt to Tunisia, I Sat next to trumpeter for a wedding band he said never go to Libya “because from the moment you’re in the air to when you land there are catastrophes” but then he added “At least it is not Algeria”

In Morocco, 3 separate people told me the Algerians are liars & are intrinsically conflict prone and are trampling on the sovereign rights of Morocco in the Sahel. In Tunisia I was told to avoid “The Algerians” because “they smile at you while they hold a knife behind their back”

In France, Spain & Italy, it’s kind of a gimme—after all they are european and therefore just racist in general, although in France I stayed in a hotel run by an old Algerian Jewish woman Madame Renee who exclusively hired Algerian immigrants bc she said she hated the French.

She was resentful against the French because their giving Algerian Jews citizenship and thus setting them apart—she said her family had been there for 10 generations and then overnight everyone hated her. She dreamed of being able to return to Algiers & open a cafe.

She basically adopted her employees as surrogate children, and told me I was her spirit child because her adult son was a no goodnik. I very shortsightedly did not keep in contact (I was 17 after all) but this was stupid of me bc she offered me free stays in the future

I liked Madame Renee and her little Left Bank Bed & Breakfast, where she tried to cheat me out of what I paid so I argued with her in French for 2 hours at 5am, after which pt she respected me bc i was “not stupid like other Americans” & then gave me what i paid for & a discount

I, To this day, do not understand it. The only comparable prejudices I have encountered with such universal assent were against:
1. The British
2. Americans
3. Australians
4. Italians
5. Romani
6. Jews
7. Germans
8. Israelis
9. The Irish (mostly positive tho)
10. Saudis

For Americans, Australians, British & Italians, everywhere the consensus are that they are loud, entitled, travel all the time & ignorant. But people tended to view Americans & Australians as lovable ignorant brutes, but Brits & Germans as untrustworthy imperialistic scum.

Anti-Zhiganism is incredibly common in Europe, and many people have told me that it’s not like other prejudices because it’s based on reality. The Irish were perceived everywhere i went in nearly universally positive terms, as ambassadors to the world & highly friendly.

Prejudices against Saudis & other foreign traveling people from the Gulf was that they are all rich, gaudy, and hypocritical. Fittingly stereotypes of Jews & Israelis did not overlap—i met quite a few antisemitic but pro Israel people & philosemitic but anti Israel people.

But with the exception of Madame Renee, everywhere I went people were racist against Algerians—case in point, I befriended her main employee & manager, Muhammad, from Algiers who had a masters in engineering from University of Algiers but couldn’t get employed in France

He said it was because his degree wasn’t as good—I said isn’t engineering everywhere the same & he said yes the theory but not the technology & practice—i averred That racism must have to do with it & he protested “no, unfortunately, most Algerians are not loyal workers like me”

Really though, if anyone has any research on the origin of this particular prejudice, its seeming wide prevalence & why it is held so fervently I’d love to see it. https://twitter.com/yungneocon/status/1325543263193993222

Since I did not keep in contact with Madame Renee I wish to honor her legacy at least. She does not deserve such a bad reputation!