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Rabat – Rif protest movement member, El Mortada Iamrachen, has said the rejection that the movement’s detainees expressed for holding protests on July 30 is proof of their attachment to the nation’s precepts, among which is the monarchy.
July 30 marks Throne Day, when King Mohammed VI assumed power in 1999 following the death of his father, the late King Hassan II.
On Saturday, the Rif detainees reportedly issued a statement in response to calls that circulated on social media, urging local residents of the Al Hoceima region to stage protests on July 30.
“The statement of the detainees today confirms they are all attached to national precepts and respect for the monarchy,” wrote Iamrachen in a Facebook post on Saturday.
Iamrachen called on media outlets to “stop” calling those who advocate for confrontation with the government “activists.” He said that the leading members of Hirak, the protest movement in the Rif region, unanimously agree that these people should be isolated and that they do not represent the rest of the “peaceful protesters.”
In their statement, the detainees declared thet “Those who call for a manifestation on this day are only trying to distort the course of our struggle and thus serve our enemies, who seek to incriminate the Rif and its children, who have been accused of false and unfounded accusations, while our demands have always been clear social, economic and cultural demands.”
The position of the Rif detainees was backed by their families who released a statement on Sunday encouraging local residents to respect the monarchy and criticizing calls for protests on July 30.
The calls for holding protests on Throne Day are being viewed as a move with political significance aimed at expressing opposition to the monarchy.
Hirak, being primarily a movement that started as a reaction to what it calls economic and social marginalization of the Rif region, maintains its demands are mainly social and economic. They reject claims and accusations that they advocate for separatism in the region, historically at odds with the central government.
