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Rabat – In an apparent attempt to create controversy between Morocco and Gulf countries, a photoshopped image has been released online showing King Mohammed VI carrying a banner that reads, “You have the world, we have Tamim [Emir of Qatar].”
The slogan is likely meant as a message to the supporters of the Saudi-led blockade on Qatar, including Egypt and United Arab Emirates, released during the King’s visit to the Gulf.
Royal advisor Yassir Zenagui has strongly refuted the authenticity of the image, telling Moroccan news outlet Le360 that “[they] were surprised by this picture, because it is an image and not a photograph.”
“It’s a grotesque Photoshop!” he added.
Zenagui stressed that he was by the monarch’s side at all times during his trip to Qatar and that the King “never held or photographed himself with a slogan.”
The diplomat explained that King Mohammed VI has been the subject of numerous faked images that were widely shared on social media. “Verification work, even with the naked eye, makes it possible to detect manipulations in these images,” he added.
King Mohammed VI’s Visit to the Gulf
For the past week, King Mohammed VI was on a diplomatic visit to Qatar, intended to help resolve the ongoing Gulf crisis. The monarch’s visit was lauded by Qatari media, who welcomed him as the first “blockade breaker” to visit the country since the beginning of the crisis.
The ongoing conflict has pitted Qatar against a quartet of its neighbours, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Egypt, who accused the country of supporting terrorism.
Before landing in Qatar, the monarch paid a friendly and working visit to the United Arab Emirates on November 7.
