Tragic reason why team roses were thrown in River Seine at beginning of Olympics

Anyone who tuned into the Olympics opening ceremony a few weeks back may have been slightly distracted by just how soggy Paris looked that evening.

But there were a lot of details to unpack from the extravaganza, which featured performances from the likes of Lady Gaga and Celine Dion.

Then, of course, was the grand procession of each country’s Olympic team, who travelled along the Seine in boats.

What a way to make an entrance, eh?

Algeria’s Olympic entrance

When it came to the Algerian team’s turn to sail past fans, many people noticed that athletes were holding red roses as they waved to fans lined along the riverbank.

They then tossed them into the river, as some of the group chanted ‘Long live Algeria’ in Arabic.

Athletes from Algeria's Olympics team (Mehmet Murat Onel/Anadolu via Getty Images)

It turns out this was more than just a symbol of national pride, as it was actually something that served as a poignant tribute to a particularly dark period in the nation’s history - one that has devastating links to the famous Parisian river.

1961 Paris massacre

Back in October 1961, some 120 protesters died during a demonstration in support of independence from France, which was Algeria’s colonial ruler at the time.

Some of the people had been thrown into the Seine by police, who arrested around 12,000.

While the massacre was covered up by French authorities for decades, President Emmanuel Macron recently condemned the deathly crackdown as an ‘unforgivable crime’.

The Algerian team threw roses into the Seine (RAFAEL YAGHOBZADEH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

As he took part in a 2021 memorial for those killed – laying a wreath in memory of the victims – an accompanying statement from the Elysée said Macron ‘recognised the facts: that the crimes committed that night under Maurice Papon are inexcusable for the Republic'.

"This tragedy was long hushed-up, denied or concealed," the statement added.

Algeria eventually won independence from France in 1962, following 132 years of colonial rule.

'A moment of immense emotion’

Among those killed was Kaci Yahia, an Algerian worker for the Paris sewage system, whose body was never recovered.

His 28-year-old grandson was watching the Olympics opening ceremony from Algeria, and praised the commemoration for those like his grandfather.

“To make such a gesture, the day of the opening of the Olympics in Paris, is a monumental homage to the victims of Oct. 17,” he said.

“It’s a moment of immense emotion,” he said.