Algeria's Hirak has a secret weapon Algeria's Hirak is back, and it has a secret weapon Columnists 5 min read 13 May, 2021 Comment: After a year-long hiatus Algeria's Hirak is back on the streets, and this time is fortified by widespread industrial action and more ambitious demands, writes Malia Bouattia. Algerians march with a national flag, marking the anniversary of the Hirak movement. [Getty] Despite Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune's hopes that the upcoming legislative elections would deliver him tighter control over his country, the people of Algeria are, once again, proving that they will not be easily silenced. Faced with increased cost of living, growing unemployment, and food shortages, Algerians have returned to the streets in the thousands to demand social justice and the fall of the regime.