The first, and perhaps most disappointing, blow came on 26 September when sixty-one Muslim second college deputies signed a statement repudiating “integration”. Denouncing “blind repression” and “collective responsibility” as a cause of their dissatisfaction, they declared the concept of integration to be “now out-dated”, adding: “The overwhelming majority of the population now supports the Algerian national idea.” The impact of Philippeville and its ensuing backlash was clear here, and moderate Muslim leaders had been left in no doubt that the assassination of Ferhat Abbas’s nephew had been intended as a warning for them.

XREF: Connects to the dynamics of colonial repression radicalizing moderate factions, a pattern seen in other decolonization contexts.

Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Alge…, loc. 391