Lahcen Haddad ‘Shocked’ by Exclusion From EU Rif Debate

Casablanca – Lahcen Haddad, the co-chair of the Moroccan-European Union Joint Parliamentary Committee, expressed “shock” at the absence of Moroccan legislators from a European Parliament event on the Rif scheduled for October 27.

“I am shocked that the organizers of the event, claiming to be human rights activists, refused to hear a parliamentarian’s point of view,” Haddad stated in a letter to the presidents of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and the Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) groups in the European Parliament.

“Democracy is built around differences and a debate of ideas. A dissenting or a different point of view can only enrich the debate,” he added, questioning “do the organizers want only one point of view to be heard at the European Parliament?”

In his letter, the official expressed his desire to have been invited to speak at this event, on the theme “Beyond the hirak: A new vision for the Rif” as a co-chair or as an expert and writer on human rights and development issues.

“I thought I could bring a parliamentary and expert perspective to the debate and enrich the exchange you are planning to have on this important topic,” he said. “But the Freedom and Human Rights Organisation just simply and plainly rejected my request.”

“Hearing my modest point of view won’t hurt; on the contrary, it will give the audience a multiplicity of opinions on the human rights and development issues facing the Rif region in northern Morocco,” he said.

In this letter, Haddad highlighted his “vision for a new Rif,” which “is neither apologetic nor extremist.”

He emphasized that the government has responded to the Rif people’s requests by implementing an ambitious development strategy that is “already bearing fruit,” mentioning the investments made in a variety of sectors, including agribusiness, real estate, and tourism, among others.

Haddad also recalled the conclusions of a detailed report by Morocco’s National Council for Human Rights, the “Report on the protests of Al Hoceima March 2020,” which he considered “the most objective, detail-oriented, and fact-driven.”

While regretting the refusal of his request, the official continued: “Hearing me out would have produced a fruitful discussion on the real way forward, especially in the precincts of an institution that is the beacon of freedom and free expression, the EU Parliament.”

“I have not been allowed to speak but I hope you will understand my point of view as expressed herein and proceed to open a debate with Moroccan MPs on the best way forward, in a positive and optimistic way,” he concluded.

The Hirak Rif movement was a protest movement that took place in northern Morocco’s Rif region. The protests erupted in 2016, following the death of fishmonger Mohcine Fikri, who was killed by a garbage truck while attempting to collect his confiscated goods.

Protests erupted, resulting in multiple violent confrontations between protestors and security forces.