23 used in the past to gain victory in our most important fights against foreign invasion is exactly the same weapon that we can use once again to win our battles today and tomorrow. So how can we defeat our enemies and successfully face modern challenges? How can we change our present and get rid of all that is alien to us and incompatible with our values and culture? The answer lies in the lessons learned from our experiences and battles throughout the different periods of history. Let us remember, my dear brothers, how we won victory here in Algeria. Let us understand how we can continue our victories everywhere in the greater Arab nation. The French occupation of Algeria was not like other imperialist ventures which aimed only at occupying territories, plundering resources and exploiting populations. The French colonisation of Algeria did not stop at exploiting the resources of the country but went so far as to try to erase its Arab identity and turn it into an extension of French territories. They tried to sever the Algerian people from their cultural traditions and heritage by erasing Arabic and imposing French. These were the methods used by the French to lay their hands on Algeria’s state, land, trade, agriculture, cities, language and culture. But they managed to appropriate everything except the Algerian people. From the start of the occupation, the Algerian people never stopped resisting and fighting. Algerians understood fairly early the nature of the battle they had at hand, for they realised
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