In this article, Jardar informs us on what is going on in Morocco.
Photo Credit: Morocco World News
In 2017 a different form of protest happened in the country of Morocco. People went to social media and made a video of them selves tearing or burning their passports to show support for the people of Rif region while pro government supporters made videos of themselves kissing their Moroccan passports. Huge fights between those 2 groups happened online instead on the streets which is not seen often.
Let us take a step back and see where all began. It all began with a fight about fish. A group of fishers were fishing and the police came and confiscated their fishes and put them in a garbage truck. The reason was it was not allowed to fish during that season. Mouhcine Fikri and his friend wanted their fishes back so when the police left, they snuck into the truck to receive their fish back but then Mouhcine Fikri was crushed to death and that was captured on film and posted to social media.
People became angry and upset about what happened to Mouhcine Fikri. People used that opportunity to protest against the high unemployment in the region of Rif. The Rif region has been largely underdeveloped. Nasser Zefzati a local activist, became a huge figure in the demonstrations in the region. Nasser Zefzati was not shy when he criticized the government, he allegedly interrupted a preacher at a mosque on Friday and called for more protests. His demonstration spread to many large cities in Morocco like Tangier,Nador, Casablanca and Marrakech. The government wanted an end of Zefzati protest, so he was arrested and charged with threatening national security which could give him life imprisonment.
For Zefzais supporters that is an action to take away their freedom of speech and freedom of association, so the supporters began burning their passports. For many pro-government Moroccans who are mostly from the south, that is a huge disrespect for the country's founders and martyrs who died for liberation of morocco.
Now after 4 years people from the Rif still have a huge support for Nasser Zefzati but the protest has died down for now. Zefzati is still waiting in trial for his sentence.
Sources:
Memo(2017) Moroccans burn their passports in protest https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170602-moroccans-burn-their-passports-in-protest/
Memo(30.05.2017) Morocco arrests leader of protests in Al-Hoceima https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170530-morocco-arrests-leader-of-protests-in-al-hoceima/
BBC(2016) Morocco protests: Death of fish-seller triggers rare demonstrations
Dailymail(2016) Crushed to death… because of a fish: Horrifying moment trader is killed in the back of a garbage truck as he tries to stop police destroying banned swordfish in Morocco https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1349729/Horrifying-moment-Mouhcine-Fikri-crushed-rubbish-truck.html