La Consulaire — Attraction in Brest

The Baba Merzoug cannon, also known as "La Consulaire" (The Consular) and The Protector Of Elmahroussa is the name of a very large Algerian artillery piece which famously defended Algiers harbour. It was looted by the French during the Invasion of Algiers in 1830, on 5 July, and taken as a trophy to Brest, where it is still displayed. To Algerians it is known as Baba Merzoug, meaning "Blessed Father", as it protected the city, now Algeria's capital, from countless invasions over the years. Built in 1542, even by today's standards it is a gigantic weapon and was regarded for centuries as the guardian of Algiers (Elmahroussa, Elbahja). Weighing 12 tonnes, its 7m- (22ft) long barrel pointed out towards the Mediterranean where it could fire 80kg (176lb) projectiles over a distance of 5km (three miles) towards invading ships. Indeed in 1683 the French consul at the time - Jean le Vacher - was shoved into the cannon and blasted from it during a failed attempt by the French navy to take the city. To this day French military officers call the weapon "La Consulaire" (The Consular)after that ignominious incident. When the French finally captured the city in 1830 - on their third attempt - they decided to remove the cannon to where it could do them no more damage. Today it points towards the sky  at a naval base in the north-western French port of Brest,...

UN CANON VOLÉ ! RENDEZ-LE

Le canon "Baba Merzoug", également appelé "La Consulaire" par les Français, est bien un canon algérien historique, fabriqué vers 1542 (et non exactement 1500), à Alger, sous la régence ottomane.

Voici les faits principaux :

Il s'agit d’un énorme canon en bronze de plus de 7 mètres de long, installé dans le port d’Alger pour défendre la ville contre les attaques navales.

Il a été surnommé "Baba Merzoug" (littéralement "Père Chanceux" en arabe) par les Algériens, en raison de sa puissance.

En 1830, lors de la colonisation de l’Algérie par la France, les troupes françaises s’emparent du canon et le ramènent à Brest, en France.

À Brest, il est renommé "La Consulaire", et monté comme trophée de guerre sur un piédestal dans l’arsenal maritime.

Depuis, l’Algérie réclame le retour de Baba Merzoug comme symbole patrimonial et historique. Ce canon reste un objet sensible dans les relations mémorielles entre l’Algérie...

It belongs to Algeria . This cannon has to be returned immediately to its original place in Algiers, Algeria. This is a stolen property from the Algerian people.

Cela appartient à l’Algérie. Rendez ce monument à sa place dans les...