In 2011 the outbreak of revolts across the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), which later became known as the ‘Arab Spring’, set Arab youth on the global stage: international media representations forged the image of a democracy-aspiring youth from the MENA region. In Algeria, young men took to the streets in January 2011 in several cities. While the spontaneous and violent protest ceased within a matter of days, many public demonstrations, made up of different occupational groups – such as doctors, students and auxiliary policemen – were recorded throughout 2011. Also, a protest movement – the Coordination nationale pour le changement et la démocratie (CNCD, National Coordination for Change and Democracy) – was established on 21 January by various actors from political parties and civil society. It sought to unify the different protesting groups under the banner of the call for ‘change’, but it did not succeed in transforming these disparate groups into a broader protest movement. Accordingly, Algeria was soon declared one of the ‘exceptions’ within the regional crisis.

The majority of the youth did not follow the weekly call for protest by the CNCD despite the discontent of many: ‘Sorry for existing’ is a common refrain among young Algerians who feel marginalized. In public discourse and the Algerian media, les jeunes [the young] are often equated with social problems and violence. Tragically, the self-immolation of young Algerians in 2011 pointed to the precarious situation of many young people, especially in economically deprived areas.

The most pressing problems are the high youth unemployment rate in Algeria and the lack of housing for young people who, as a consequence, delay getting married. These issues are compounded by the moral regime of elders and religious authorities who fear youthful self-expression. There are signs of intergenerational tensions: instead of joining protests organized by older generations, a group of anonymous young people tried to initiate a youth movement. On 19 March 2011 – the anniversary of the ceasefire between France and Algeria (19 March 1962) – they protested against hogra (abuse of power), declared themselves independent of any political party or foreign influence and called for ‘another’ Algeria. The government reacted with powerful security measures to the call for demonstrations by the Facebook group ‘19 Mars 2011’.