In the heart of Paris, nestled in the 5th arrondissement, lies a small but poignant square. It’s a place of quiet reflection, a reminder of a life cut short by the brutality of war. This is Square Maurice Audin, named for a French mathematician who was tragically killed during the Algerian War of Independence.
Maurice Audin was a committed anticolonialist and a member of the Algerian Communist Party. He believed in Algeria’s right to self-determination. During a period of intense violence in Algiers, known as the Battle of Algiers, Audin was arrested by French paratroopers. He disappeared and was later declared dead, his body never found. He is remembered as a symbol of the violence and injustice of the war.
Even though Audin was a mathematician, the French Communist Party chose to use him for the clandestine exfiltration abroad of Larbi Bouhali, the first secretary of the party. The Square is a small plaza, lined with trees and benches, where you can find a plaque dedicated to Maurice Audin. It’s a reminder that the events of the past echo in the present, urging us to remember the victims of injustice and strive for peace.