Zohra Drif

Zohra Drif Bitat (Arabic: زهرة ظريف بيطاط, romanized: Zuhra Ḍrīf Bīṭāṭ, born 28 December 1934) is a retired Algerian lawyer, moudjahid (a militant of the Algerian War of Independence), and the vice-president of the Council of the Nation, the upper house of the Algerian Parliament. Drif was born in Tissemselt, Algeria, part of the province of Tiaret, where her grandfather was an imam and her father served as a lawyer and judge in Tiaret. She is best known for her activities on behalf of the National Liberation Front (FLN) during the Algerian War of Independence.

Drif was married to Rabah Bitat, one of the heads of the FLN and president of the National Assembly. In Algeria, she is considered a heroine in the Algerian War of Independence against French colonisation. She was a part of the FLN's bomb network and during the Algerian War of Independence, she worked with Ali La Pointe, Hassiba Ben Bouali, and Yacef Saâdi, head of the Autonomous Zone of Algiers. During the war she is most known for conducting the bombing of the Milk Bar Café in 1956, which killed three women and permanently injured others, including children.

Drif was born into an upper-class, traditional Algerian family and was raised in the countryside. She grew up in Vialar. Drif's father was a well-established lawyer and reached the status of qadi. She attended an elite secondary school, Lycée Fromentin, in Algiers, and later studied law at the University of Algiers from 1954. It was at Lycée Fromentin that she met her close friend, and later fellow member of the FLN, Samia Lakhdari. However, her increased involvement in the FLN affected her grades and she was forced to put her studies on hold. Drif developed ideals that were both feminist and anti-colonial. In her memoir, Drif cites her family and friends as a key influence on her ideals, in particular her mother but also her brother who was also involved in the freedom struggle and suffered with mental health difficulties as a result. Also her relationship with Samia Lakhdari's family with whom she had philosophical debates which proved fundamental in founding her beliefs. Furthermore, Drif cites the influence of French Revolutionary and Enlightenment Philosophers as a key influence in her upbringing, in particular looking to the 1793 “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen,” as well as other key thinkers such as Danton, Montesquieu and Clémenceau. For Drif, the overwhelming contradiction of individual rights and liberties professed in French philosophy was a direct contradiction to her experiences of French Colonialism.

Drif also played an active role in the activities of the FLN around this time alongside Djamila Bouhired and Hassiba Ben Bouali. She joined the revolutionary movement early on during her studies at the University of Algiers as she was involved in the Autonomous Zone of Algiers. Later, with her friend Samia Lakhdari Drif joined the FLN, initially participating mainly through delivering packages and supporting the struggle in distant ways. It was later, in 1956 that Drif became more involved in the armed ranks of the FLN following the arrest of key FLN figures which motivated Drif and many others to join the struggle.

Drif has frequently explained her role in the revolution as well as the importance of women in the revolution. In her memoir, Drif supports the belief that women brought a unique asset to the movement and were able to complete tasks and operate under less suspicion than their male colleagues. This became especially important when Drif was involved in the bombing campaign and was able to disguise herself in European clothing to discreetly access parts of the city she would have otherwise not be allowed to go. She used such a disguise in the 1956 Milk Bar Café Bombing. Furthermore, the use of violence against women, especially young female students, was seen as especially damaging to the Colonial image and therefore employed by the FLN as a valuable propaganda tool to build sympathy for their efforts.

In January 1957, the French authorities declared the Battle of Algiers and the ZAA is heavily hit by French paratroopers commanded by General Massu. In July and August 1957, Drif attended two interviews between Yacef Saâdi and Germaine Tillion on 4 July and 9 August.

On 30 September 1956, Drif's unit, consisting of her and two other female revolutionaries, Samia Lakhdari and Djamila Boupacha, was directed to carry out a bombing. Each of the women chose their own location for the bomb. While Samia Lakhdari selected Rue Michelet and Djamila Boupacha chose the Air France Office, Drif selected the popular Milk Bar Café to plant her bomb. In her memoir she recalls visiting the site prior to the attack and practicing her exact movements under timed conditions to perfect her act. Furthermore, on the day of the bombing she remembers dressing in a European-style summer dress and getting a European haircut to ensure she would blend in at the café. While the bomb planted in the Air France Office did not explode, the one on Rue Michelet as well as Drif's at the Milk Bar Café did. Drif's attack killed three young women and injured others, including children who lost limbs.

In the aftermath of the attack, Drif recalls in her memoir feeling not guilt or shame but rather pride at her success. In particular she recalls feeling justified in her actions through the belief she was merely responding to years of colonial repression and violence. Furthermore, she reflects on this attack as a decisive turning point as it triggered an international interest into the ‘Algerian Situation’ and brought the issue of independence to the world stage.