Members of the Algerian delegation found a way to honor victims of the 1961 police crackdown on protesters during the Opening Ceremony in Paris on Friday night.

Algerian athletes brought red roses onto their boat and then tossed them into the Seine river as they rode along in the Parade of Nations to kick off the 2024 Olympics on Friday.

Though exact figures still aren’t known, more than 100 Algerian protesters died and 12,000 were arrested by French police on Oct. 17, 1961 as they were demonstrating in support of Algeria’s independence from France. Protesters were even thrown into the Seine River by police during the event, which is frequently described as a massacre.

French president Emmanuel Macron became the first president in the nation's history to recognize the "crimes committed that night," which he called "unforgivable" in 2021 while laying flowers at a bridge over the river to mark the 60th anniversary of the demonstrations.

"In addition to many wounded, several dozen were killed, their bodies thrown into the Seine," the Élysée said in a statement in 2021, via The Guardian. "Many families never found the remains of their loved ones who disappeared that night. The president of the republic pays tribute to the memory of all the victims."

The French-Algerian war, which lasted for nearly eight years, ended in 1962. Algeria has been independent ever since.

Algeria sent 45 athletes to the Games this summer, which kicked off officially on Friday night during a rainy Opening Ceremony in Paris. Saturday marks the first full day of competition.