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Rabat — Thirteen Moroccan activists have been handed six-month suspended prison sentences and fined MAD 2,000 each.
The sentences are allegedly due to their participation in a pro-Palestinian rally in November 2023.
The protest was held outside a French supermarket chain in Salé and called for a boycott in solidarity with Palestinians.
Abdelilah Benabdeslam, a member of the Moroccan Front for the Support of Palestine and Against Normalization, faced trial for “organizing an unauthorized protest.”
Activists opposing ties with Israel have said they plan to appeal the ruling.
In Morocco, as in the rest of the world, many firms and brands have been called out for their silence or “pro-Israeli” stance amid the genocide unfolding in Gaza.
Along with US chains such as McDonald’s, which acted fast to handle the fallout, Burger King, and Coca-Cola, the French retail giant Carrefour – run in Morocco by Label’Vie – has been accused of backing Israel. The backlash came after viral videos online showed the supermarket handing out meals to Israeli soldiers on the frontline.
Read also: One Year After October 7: ‘Normalization Has Fallen Popularly and Must Fall Officially’
Abdelilah Benabdeslam called the trial “unfair” but expressed pride in standing up for Palestine.
“We are proud to be tried for defending the Palestinian people who are subjected to genocide and all violations of their rights,” he said.
The Moroccan Front includes political parties, unions, and associations that have firmly denounced Israel’s policies in Palestine and repeatedly called on the Moroccan government to sever all ties with Israel.
In 2020, Morocco re-established relations with Israel under the US-backed Abraham Accords.
While the Moroccan Front and pro-Palestine voices in the country initially opposed the move, they have more strongly denounced any ties with Israel in the wake of the Israeli occupation forces’ unrelenting genocidal campaign in Gaza.
Pro-Palestinian sentiment remains strong and widespread in Morocco, where most ordinary citizens are staunchly loyal to the Palestinian cause. As a result, observers fear that the government’s perceived crackdown on the activists is likely to fuel further dissent.
Yet critics welcome such dissent, arguing that the recent court ruling aimed to deter support for Palestinians.
This comes as Morocco, especially through Gaza-bound humanitarian initiatives by King Mohammed VI and repeated statements and actions in support of the creation of Palestine, has repeatedly maintained its “principled” commitment to the Palestinian cause.
But with the Israeli occupation forces’ relentless destruction of Palestinian homes and lives, it remains to be seen how or whether Morocco’s government will reconsider its 2020 normalization of relations with Israel.
