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Rabat – Dozens of Amazigh activists on Saturday burned pictures of Morocco’s Head of Government and Secretary General of the Party of Justice and Development (PJD) Abdelilah Benkirane, in an angry response to his alleged “anti-Amazigh statement.”
On Saturday, groups of Amazigh activists gathered outside headquarters of the governing party PJD in Inzegane, Agadir.
A video surfaced online, showing some protestors burning photographs of PJD’s leader Abdelilah Benkirane during the demonstration.
The protest comes in response to Benkirane’s statement “how much does it cost a Soussi (an Amazigh person) to live!” Many Amazigh activists have felt that the statement mocked and insulted the Amazigh people.
However, Moroccan journalist Ridoune Erramdani defended Morocco’s Head of Government, saying that his remark did not contain any insult or mockery toward the Amazigh people.
“By burning the pictures of Benkirane, those protestors proved that extremism can be achieved easily,” Erramdani added.
This is not the first time Abdelilah Benkirane sparks controversy with his statements. The Islamist party leader has a tendency to show a comedic side to his personality during his speeches. However, his jokes often create controversy on social media.
Last October, Benkirane outraged women’s rights activists and organizations when he suggested that having a wife costs less than having a girlfriend.
In June 2014, the Prime Minister came under fire for his statements to the Parliament regarding the role of women. He made an impassioned speech suggesting that a woman’s place is in the household rather than in the workplace.
