Rabat – Police are on the hunt for a group of armed protesters of the “Moorish American” movement north of Boston, Massachusetts.
Early in the morning of Saturday, June 3, Massachusetts state police encountered a group of men dressed in military tactical equipment and carrying weapons. The men identified themselves as “Moorish Americans,” police sources state the men refused to present identification and licenses for their arms.
Massachusetts State Police announced on Twitter that officials had closed the highway during the encounter with the group, before reopening the highway after having set up checkpoints to check passing cars.
Photo: Massachusetts State Police / Twitter
State police brought in two large trucks to block the highway completely as police officers attempted to deescalate the situation. As the stand-off unfolded, the apparent leader or spokesperson of the “Rise of the moors” group live-streamed the event on their youtube channel.
“We are not anti-government,” the group stated on Youtube as they presented their activity as a legitimate protest for not being allowed to continue their journey to their destination in Maine.
Photo: Massachusetts State Police / Twitter
“Our nation, which our flag is right here,” the group’s leader shouted at police as he pointed at the Moroccan flag held up by one of the men. “Our nation has a treaty with your government,” the group’s leader called out to police in an American accent.
Footage: “Rise of the Moors” / Youtube
In a video titled “Moroccan peace,” the leader of the group stated that “we are in North America, Morocco,” emphasizing the group’s beliefs that African Americans are descendants of citizens of the historic Moroccan Empire.
Communication between the armed group and state police appeared to be cordial, with the group citing US legal cases in support of their actions as police gradually encircled the group.
The group appeared to call on the 1787 Moroccan–American Treaty of Friendship, stating that the stand-off with local police violated the historic treaty signed by Alouite Sultan Muhammad III and US “founding fathers” John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
Footage: “Rise of the Moors” / Youtube
The group’s leader stated that the group of armed men were travelling through Massachusetts to private land in Maine where they aimed to “train.”
The group was refueling their vehicles with gas canisters brought along to prevent the armed group from having to refuel at gas stations. The group did so, according to its statements, in order to ensure they did not break local firearm laws.
“We are not pointing any arms at them, we have handed them federal laws … to try to get them to de-escalate the situation, but they keep escalating the situation,” the group’s leader stated in his live-streamed videos.
“We are here with our nation’s flag, and they are violating foreign treaties,” one supporter stated, in an apparent reference to treaties between Morocco and the US. “We are not US citizens, we are American nationals,” the unnamed group member added.
Photo: WCVB
Massachusetts state police appear to have not recognized their claims as the stand-off concluded with the group’s members escaping into the forest along the highway. The local Special Tactical Operations Team arrested 11 “heavily armed” members of the group as state police asked the inhabitants of two nearby towns to stay indoors as they continued to search for additional members of the group.
“Their self-professed leader wanted (it) very much known (that) their ideology is not anti-government,” Massachusetts State Police Officer Christopher Mason told local news outlet NBC Boston. “Our investigation will provide us more insight into what their motivation, what their ideology is.” Local police reported no injuries or shots fired as the arrests were made.
