On the night of October 17, 1961, Paris became the scene of a horrific massacre targeting peaceful Algerian demonstrators. The events were sparked by a discriminatory curfew imposed on October 5 by police chief Maurice Papon, targeting only Algerians. Thousands marched peacefully to demand independence, only to be met with state-sanctioned violence. Police officers fired on the crowds and threw many victims into the Seine River. While official figures were initially suppressed, historical estimates suggest between 200 and 400 deaths, with thousands detained in brutal conditions. After decades of official denial, French authorities began acknowledging the severity of the events in 2012. More recently, President Emmanuel Macron labeled the actions as unforgivable crimes, yet families of the victims maintain their calls for full historical accountability.