Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat -Despite its undeniable touristic and cultural appeal to both Moroccans and foreign visitors due to its wealth of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, the city of Fez has fallen victim to poor governance characterized by corruption and mismanagement. As a result, the city, once known for its beauty and harmonious blend of authenticity and modernity, has become a hotbed of crime and other socio-economic ills.
Such problems affect many facets of life in the iconic Moroccan city, including important sectors such as tourism and local development. In recent years, several videos have gone viral on social media documenting an alarming increase in crime, including theft, in Fez.
One such video showed two men on a motorcycle attacking a woman in the street, with the one in charge of robbing people, mostly women, using a large knife to threaten his victims, take their belongings and flee the scene of the crime.
Another of the many incidents reflecting the alarming rise in crimes in Morocco’s cultural and spiritual capital took place earlier in 2023. A video of that scary incident showed a gang flashing sharp weapons while attacking a house in the El-Karian neighborhood. In the video, locals could be seen running in terror and screaming, while the sound of glass breaking could be heard.
Fez was once an important city for historical tourism, with tens of thousands of foreign tourists and Moroccan visitors flocking to the iconic city every year to savor its vibrant souks, rich cultural heritage and exquisitely preserved medieval architecture.
However, in the current alarming state of affairs, if nothing is done to satisfactorily address the city’s growing insecurity problem, Fez could lose its unique appeal to thousands of Moroccan and foreign tourists who travel to the city every year to enjoy its wealth of historical sites and its vibrant spiritual aspect.
Worrying tourists accounts
When asked about the city’s security challenges, Fez residents have differing views. While some believe that the city’s main challenge is to address its increasingly alarming youth unemployment rate, others blame Fez’s woes on the city’s poor education system. For the latter group, the failure of the educational system to attract, inspire, and adequately educate young Fez residents has contributed significantly to the rise in drug addiction and crime rates among the youth.
Of the Fez residents and natives who have recently spoken of their disappointment and frustration with the city’s rampant culture of hostility and insecurity, one story stood out: that of a 28-year-old woman who had traveled to the city – her hometown – to spend quality time with her family during the New Year’s celebrations.
Speaking to Morocco World News (MWN) on December 31 on condition of anonymity, the woman painfully recalled how what she had envisioned as a fun and rewarding family holiday turned into a nightmare after a hostile carpet shop staff humiliated her and her mother.
The woman, who now lives in Rabat, revealed that her annual tradition of exploring Fez’s labyrinthine, captivating medina with her mother took a disturbing turn this past New Year’s Eve when the two women’s walk through the medina led them to a fascinating spot known as “le coin berbere,” a burgundy-colored Moroccan salon decorated with traditional Amazigh carpets.
Impressed by the carpet shop’s decor, the woman said she felt the urge to take pictures of the place to showcase the cultural richness of her hometown to her large social media following. She politely asked the waitress, who turned out to be the owner’s wife, for permission to take the pictures. However, her request was met with a haughty refusal, setting off a chain of events that soured the experience.
The situation soon escalated when the owner himself joined in and dismissively ordered the woman and her mother to leave. As if the initial shock of the surreal, humiliating encounter were not enough, the two women faced further shaming even after walking out of the carpet shop, as the staff member and two co-workers aggressively insisted that they leave the area altogether.
“My New Year’s Day turned into a nightmare. I escaped from these sobbing monsters and continued my tearful journey to Rcif,” the frustrated woman told MWN. “I could no longer turn back for fear they would assault me again. I cried the whole way; I cried for my humiliation, I cried for my town.”
After the woman subsequently took to social media to express her frustration, the disgraceful incident sparked discussions about the treatment of visitors in Fez and the importance of hospitality, raising concerns about the impact on the city’s tourism reputation.
Read also: Video: Parents in Fes Neighborhood Protest Against ‘Rapist Gang’
Indeed, many have since come forward to report similar incidents in Fez in recent years, lamenting both the mistreatment of tourists and the alarming security challenges faced by local authorities.
Not only locals, but also foreign tourists are victims of such horrific incidents. Norbert Figueroa, a travel writer, shared his horrific experience as a tourist in Fez in October 2023.
As Figueroa was returning to his hotel after a long walk through the city, he was passing one of the city gates when a man coming in the opposite direction raised his arm in a sideways motion and wrapped it around the tourist’s neck.
“As he wrapped his arm around my neck, he started pushing me back and sideways toward a corner of the gate,” Figueroa recalled.
Then, “two more guys appeared and immediately pointed their knives toward my face,” he added, stressing this was the first “violent” experience he had ever lived in which he got his iPhone stolen.
Government measures
In recent years, Morocco’s Directorate of National Security (DGSN) has emphasized its determination to increase security across the country, including in Fez.
In October 2020, for example, the DGSN shared data on security operations carried out by the police. From September 18 to 30 that year, the police arrested 12,304 people, including 8,211 who were caught red-handed in various crimes, while 4,092 were the subject of search warrants, the data showed, noting that the operations included crimes such as sexual assault, crimes against minors, drug-related cases, and economic crimes.
Despite the crisis, Moroccan security services continue to vow to step up their efforts to end the security crisis in the city and throughout Morocco.
As a precautionary measure, the Moroccan police deployed thousands of officers to maintain public order during the New Year’s Eve and New Year’s celebrations. The aim of these special operations was to mobilize human and logistical resources to ensure the safety of citizens and protect their property.
In a statement to the press on New Year’s Eve, the security governor of Fès, Mohamed Ouhtit, said: “On the occasion of the New Year, the security governor of Fès has mobilized all human and material capabilities to ensure effective security support for such celebrations.
To ensure the safety of locals and visitors, Ouhtit stressed that all security units will ensure that public order is maintained until morning.
However, with the city’s long-standing tourist appeal suffering from rampant crime, it remains to be seen whether the local authorities will continue to show the same determination as they did during the New Year celebrations to restore Fez’s good image and reassure both Moroccan and foreign visitors.
