By Sana Elouazi
Rabat – The provincial authorities of Al Hoceima have banned all protests on October 27 and 28, the first anniversary of the death of the fishmonger Mohcine Fikri, reports state news agency MAP.
This decision was taken following the recent calls for demonstrations on social networks.
October 28 marks to the first anniversary of the death of Mohcine Fikri, a fish seller from Al Hoceima who died while trapped inside a garbage truck compactor trying to recover sword fish seized and discarded by the authorities.
Fikri’s death triggered a huge grassroots movement that stirred the Rif region in northern Morocco for over nine months.
About 400 people who have taken part in the protests since the beginning of Hirak have been, or will be, brought to justice, with three-quarters in pre-trial detention. The first sentences handed down go up to five years in prison, while the trials of the movement leadersare currently beginning in Casablanca.
The authorities explain that the calls recently launched on social networks inviting all citizens to participate in protests on October 27 and 28 “have not respected the legal procedures in force.”
Ali Fikri, father of late Mohcine Fikri, expressed on October 27 his “categorical rejection of the instrumentalization of his son’s death for suspicious purposes” in a communiqué relayed by MAP.
