Casablacna- Amazigh Activists have announced plans to protest against both the government and the state of Morocco by demanding “an official apology to the Amazigh people” for what they believe to be “more than half a century of marginalization, racism and persecution.”
The protest is due to take place on January 12, 2014 in the southern city of Agadir. The day marks the celebration of the Amazigh new year. The activists will set a deadline of April 20 for the government to answer their demands, warning of “unprecedented escalation in terms of discourse and forms of protests” if they are not answered.
The following are the main demands of the activists as published by Agadir.info:
A formal apology by the state to the Amazigh people for more than half a century of marginalization, racism and persecution.
Recognition of Morocco as an Amazigh state.
Full recognition of Amazigh linguistic and cultural rights in Morocco.
Recognition of the Amazigh new year as a national holiday.
Legal criminalization of racism against Amazigh people and the Tamazight language.
Immediate release of Amazigh political detainees.
A formal apology of the state for crimes committed against the Amazigh people in the Rif region during 1958 and 1959.
An end to the ban on the Moroccan Amazigh Democratic Party.
An end to discrimination against Amazigh artists and writers.
An end to discrimination against Amazigh associations, media and cinema with regard to state support.
Morocco, like many North African and Middle Eastern countries, has witnessed a proliferation of pro-democracy demonstrations during the Arab Spring calling for political, economic and social reforms. Just months following the protests initiated by the February 20 movement, the country adopted its most recent Constitution in which Tamazight is enshrined as an official language of Morocco.
Article 5 of the Constitution reads, “Tamazight constitutes an official language of the state.”
The Amazigh aspect of Moroccan identity is also recognized in the Constitution:
“A sovereign Muslim State, attached to its national unity and to its territorial integrity, the Kingdom of Morocco intends to preserve, in its plentitude and its diversity, its one and indivisible national identity. Its unity is forged by the convergence of its Arab-Islamist, Berber [amazighe] and Saharan-Hassanic [saharo-hassanie] components, nourished and enriched by its African, Andalusian, Hebraic and Mediterranean influences [affluents].”
© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed
