Ahmed Arrad, a former official in the FLN's Federation of France, highlights the October 17, 1961, demonstrations as a calculated political act rather than a spontaneous event. He explains that the discriminatory curfew imposed by police chief Maurice Papon triggered peaceful protests that exposed the violence of the colonial regime to the international community. According to Arrad, this mobilization internationalized the Algerian cause and forced the struggle into the heart of France. He reports that the brutal crackdown resulted in over 400 deaths and thousands of detentions. Arrad details the Federation's role in organizing the diaspora, managing financial support for the revolution, and the subsequent acts of solidarity and hunger strikes in prisons, which reached the United Nations. He concludes by emphasizing the vital importance of preserving historical memory and demanding recognition for colonial-era atrocities.