In 1908 they went to France to meet Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau and expressed their opposition to Algerian conscription unless they were extended full civil rights.

[4] They sent another delegation to France in 1912 to present the "Young Algerians Manifesto", which demanded reforms including equal taxation, representation in the French National Assembly, wider suffrage and the abolition of the Code de l'Indigénat.

In an attempt to overcome this, the Young Algerians gained the support of the popular Khalid ibn Hashim, the grandson of Abd al Qadir, the resistance fighter of the 1830s.

In 1917, when Clemenceau returned to power in France, a more serious attempt at reform was made but due to colon opposition, this was watered down and became the Jonnart Law passed in 1919.

He declared that he wished "very reasonably for rights for those who have accepted all duties including the blood tax", and concluded: "Instruct us, assist us as you can do in times of peace.