Tomorrow, D-Day in Morocco #fev20
Above is the second video ahead of February 20 protests for constitutional reform, the dissolution of parliament and the formalization of the Amazigh (Berber) language(s) in Morocco. These videos have been attacked as too well produced to be the work of young Moroccans, which tells you a lot about the contempt the regime has for the country's youth. Incidentally, I think it was a mistake to add the second two requests — the last parliamentary election was fairly clean (even if money played a big role) and the question of Amazigh is a) divisive and b) something parliament can vote for. The real problem is the emasculation of parliament by a constitutional framework that gives all power to the palace. But that just my jouj centimes and I wholeheartedly support the protest movement.
Tomorrow's protest will be joined by all sorts of people, but it seems to me two groups will stand out. One is a network of mostly leftist youth that has been involved with all sorts of activism in the last few years and is close to the human rights world and the AMDH specifically. It gravitates around leftist parties such as the PSU and will probably include disaffected members of the USFP, the historic center-left party. The other group will consist largely of Adl wal-Ihsan, the largest Islamist movement in Morocco, which has long advocated constitutional reform. It is legally banned. Also present should be the wing of the legal Islamist party, the PJD, whose leaders have largely been "Makhzenized" but that has a strong figure of resistance in Mustafa Ramid, a member of parliament for Casablanca. And of course there will be tons of ordinary people with no political affiliation.
Some more notes:
- The government is said to have jammed al-Jazeera's signal on Nilesat (unconfirmed.) Several months ago Morocco withdrew accreditation from al-Jazeera.
- This document [Ar] has the demands of the 20 February movement and some tips on how to deal with riot control police. It stresses the need for peaceful protests.
- Profile of Said Benjebli, one of the bloggers at the core of the movement. Benjebli is a former Islamist.
- This intervention by the third-in-line to the throne in Morocco, Prince Moulay Hicham, who has been estranged from his cousin King Muhammad VI for over a decade, is generating a lot of commentary in Morocco. Moulay Hicham (whom I've met a few times) has been blamed by pro-regime media for all kinds of things. Idiots like Ahmed Charai, who publishes a lot of Moroccan propaganda in English, even accuse him of being some kind of pro-Islamist force. He always gets accused of plotting against the regime, but what he says here is pretty clear and I largely share his opinion.
- Ahmed Benchemsi has a nice op-ed, without his former magazine (that's doing propaganda for the regime now).
- Morocco protests will test regime's claims to liberalism | World news | The Guardian
- The Canadian Press: Moroccans mobilize online for anti-government protest, but government itself barely blinks
- Riots in Moroccan city over utility costs | Reuters
- Morocco braces for protests as unrest moves westward
- An interesting blog for info: MAMFAKINCH - Moroccan Independent News Portal
- Moroccan activists have taken the RNN model developed in Egypt and set up a similar Facebook-based news portal. I hate Facebook so I never read these things.
- I hear from friends that there was a bunch of vandalism in Tangier. Sounds like the same methods used in Egypt are being applied by the regime in Morocco. A lot of disinformation is flowing around, the people against the protests are using extremely violent language against the protestors. What I'm most afraid of is violence tomorrow by citizens manipulated by the authorities (never mind hired thugs).
Here's another video that explains more, along with its text in French and English:
Qui sommes-nous?
Nous sommes des jeunes marocains qui aiment ce pays, nous appelons de nos vœux le changement et la dignité.
Pourquoi on descend dans la rue?
C'est parce que nous voulons que beaucoup de choses changent dans ce pays que nous ne voulons plus être méprisés. Nous voulons que ceux qui pillent nos richesses soient sanctionnés. Nous voulons sortir pour dire : stop au pillage! Stop à la corruption.
Qu'est ce qu'on veut?
Nous voulons une Constitution démocratique, la fin de l'impunité des
responsables qui commettent des abus de pouvoir et qui profitent des richesses de ce pays. Nous voulons un gouvernement qui serve nos intérêts et un Parlement qui nous représente.
Et les rumeurs?
Les rumeurs d'annulation des manifestations pacifiques du 20 février sont de
fausses rumeurs, malgré ça on confirme qu'on va descendre dans la rue le 20 février.
Comment ça a commencé?
Les manifestations ont toujours existé au Maroc, les révolutions tunisienne et
égyptienne ont redonné espoir à la jeunesse marocaine et au Maroc tout entier.
Qui est derrière nous?
Ce que tout le monde doit savoir, c'est qu'aucune organisation politique ne
se cache derrière nous, notre unique souci c'est le changement et les revendications du peuple marocain.
Et les detentions?
Nous n'avons plus peur des coups de matraque et des arrestations illégales,
au contraire, cela nous donne plus de détermination et rend nos revendications plus légitimes.
Who is behind us?
What everybody must know is that there is no political organisation behind us and that only the worries of the Moroccan people and the responsability of change motivate us.
How did it start?
The protests have always existed in Morocco and the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions gaves hope to the Moroccan youth and to the whole country.
What about detentions?
We are no longer afraid by truncheon hittings or either by illegal arrests, on the contrary, that gives us more determination and legitimates our claims.
What do we demand?
We ask for a democratic Constitution, the end of impunity of those who committed power abuses and those who have taken advantage of country's wealth. We want a government who serves our interests and a Parliament who represents us.
Who are we?
We are young Moroccans who love this country and we deeply ask for change and dignity.
Why do we protest?
The reason we want a wide change in this country is that we refuse to be despised. We want those who looted the country's wealth to be sanctionned. We want to go out to say : stop looting ! Stop corruption !
Nous sommes des jeunes marocains qui aiment ce pays, nous appelons de nos vœux le changement et la dignité.
Pourquoi on descend dans la rue?
C'est parce que nous voulons que beaucoup de choses changent dans ce pays que nous ne voulons plus être méprisés. Nous voulons que ceux qui pillent nos richesses soient sanctionnés. Nous voulons sortir pour dire : stop au pillage! Stop à la corruption.
Qu'est ce qu'on veut?
Nous voulons une Constitution démocratique, la fin de l'impunité des
responsables qui commettent des abus de pouvoir et qui profitent des richesses de ce pays. Nous voulons un gouvernement qui serve nos intérêts et un Parlement qui nous représente.
Et les rumeurs?
Les rumeurs d'annulation des manifestations pacifiques du 20 février sont de
fausses rumeurs, malgré ça on confirme qu'on va descendre dans la rue le 20 février.
Comment ça a commencé?
Les manifestations ont toujours existé au Maroc, les révolutions tunisienne et
égyptienne ont redonné espoir à la jeunesse marocaine et au Maroc tout entier.
Qui est derrière nous?
Ce que tout le monde doit savoir, c'est qu'aucune organisation politique ne
se cache derrière nous, notre unique souci c'est le changement et les revendications du peuple marocain.
Et les detentions?
Nous n'avons plus peur des coups de matraque et des arrestations illégales,
au contraire, cela nous donne plus de détermination et rend nos revendications plus légitimes.
Who is behind us?
What everybody must know is that there is no political organisation behind us and that only the worries of the Moroccan people and the responsability of change motivate us.
How did it start?
The protests have always existed in Morocco and the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions gaves hope to the Moroccan youth and to the whole country.
What about detentions?
We are no longer afraid by truncheon hittings or either by illegal arrests, on the contrary, that gives us more determination and legitimates our claims.
What do we demand?
We ask for a democratic Constitution, the end of impunity of those who committed power abuses and those who have taken advantage of country's wealth. We want a government who serves our interests and a Parliament who represents us.
Who are we?
We are young Moroccans who love this country and we deeply ask for change and dignity.
Why do we protest?
The reason we want a wide change in this country is that we refuse to be despised. We want those who looted the country's wealth to be sanctionned. We want to go out to say : stop looting ! Stop corruption !