The Black Tuesday of the French Army
Posted by John Rosenthal
This week marks the one-year anniversary of what French documentary filmmakers Stéphane Haumant and Jérome Pin have dubbed "The Black Tuesday of the French Army". On November 9, 2004, French forces opened fire on a crowd of protestors gathered in front of the Hotel Ivoire in Abidjan, the capital city of Côte d'Ivoire. At least seven Ivorian civilians were killed, with dozens more wounded. Two days earlier, French helicopter gunboats had opened fire on another crowd of Ivorian protestors crossing one of Abidjan's principal bridges -- named, ironically enough, after Charles de Gaulle. From November 6 to November 10, altogether anywhere from "around 20" (the French estimate) to 57 (the official Ivorian figure) Ivorian civilians fell victim to French fire in Abidjan.
...Continue reading my article on the "Black Tuesday of the French Army" on Tech Central Station.
