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Rabat – Morocco’s Spokesperson of the Government Mustapha El Khalfi has denounced the ongoing campaign against the high prices of certain products, asserting that online activists’ claims of price increases are “fake news.”
After nearly a month, the government has officially made its stance clear on the boycott campaign targeting three companies: Sidi Ali, Centrale Danone and Afriquia Gas.
The official singled out Centrale Danone’s milk products in a statement made before journalists on Thursday following the weekly government council.
El Khalfi said “the profit margin of the company is reasonable and does not exceed 20 centimes [per liter].”
The official added that the company has not increased the price of milk since 2013, echoing Centrale Danone’s May 2 statement in which it denied increasing the prices of its dairy products.
“Conscious of the value of milk and its health benefits, Centrale Danone has maintained the price of milk since July 2013, despite the continuous rise of its production costs.”
El Khalfi then said that online activists are “circulating false information.”
“Spreading false allegations is an illegal practice that does not fall under the freedom of expression,” he added.
El Khalfi then warned that the government will work to review current speech law “because no one can accept misinformation that can damage the reputation of the country and its economy.”
Failing Customers’ Expectations?
In response, Moroccans launched a hashtag, using the Arabic translation of “fake news,” on networking services.
“Meat is offered at MAD 10 and vegetables is distributed for free #fakenews,” wrote one Twitter user.
Another Twitter user said that people who were not supporting the boycott will join the campaign “in response to the government’s provocation #fakenews.”
????? ?? ?10 ? ?????? ????? ????? #?????_?????
— sami (@samimel740) May 10, 2018
El Khalfi’s reaction to the boycott appeared to shock for social media users, who have been waiting for an official statement from the government for more than three weeks.
??? ????? ????? ????? ??? ????? ?? #???????? ???????? ????????? ???? ??? ??? ??????? ???????#?????_?????#????????
— youssef Jajili (@YoussefJajili) May 10, 2018
Two of the targeted companies, Sidi Ali and Centrale Danone, issued statements denying that they have increased the prices of their products. And the boycott continues.
