Rabat - The General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) has denied the use of arms to disperse residents of Al Hoceima who staged a demonstration on Sunday.
Rabat – The General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) has denied the use of arms to disperse residents of Al Hoceima who staged a demonstration on Sunday.
In a communiqué issued on Monday, the DGSN stated that “law enforcement officers did not use arms and tear gas to disperse demonstrators,” adding that “no one of the protestors has been detained.”
The DGSN went on to say that allegations of armed violence circulating online were false. “The DGSN prevented a group of people to gather in the public square of Al Hociema following instructions issued by the local authorities,” the agency said in the communiqué. “Some protestors have stoned the law enforcement officers, causing the physical injuries of a number of them.”
The crowd had reportedly gathered to commemorate the death of Riffian anti-colonial rebel Mohammed Ben Abdelkrim El Khattabi as part of an ongoing series of demonstrations following the death of Mouhsine Fikri, a fishmonger from Al Hoceima ,who died in tragic circumstances in late October 2016 while protesting the confiscation of his merchandise by authorities.