Casablanca – After being banned from entering Ceuta and Melilla due to her pro-Moroccan positions, former Spanish Minister Maria Antonia Trujillo said that “freedom of expression and information is more protected in Morocco than in Spain.”
“It is difficult to express oneself freely when a person [like me] deviates from the official thinking,” Trujillo added in an interview with the Moroccan news platform Rue20 in which she reiterated her position on the Spanish enclaves.
The previous minister criticized the Spanish democratic system arguing that although it is considered “one of the most advanced democracies in the world,” it offers no protection against insults and slander against “those of us who have held public responsibilities.”
“In Spain, there is no freedom of expression when you separate yourself from the sole official thought,” she continued, insisting that she would like “Spain to take the example of this country and not be misinformed and manipulated so much.”
Read also: Former Spanish Minister Says Ceuta, Melilla Are Moroccan
Despite the backlash she faced from the Spanish government following her statements, Trujillo maintained her position on the Spanish enclaves, considering them “an affront to the territorial integrity of Morocco.”
Trujillo was dismissed from her position as Education Counselor at the Spanish Embassy in Rabat a few months ago amid internal criticism of her management.
In September, she voted in favor of reopening the discussion over Ceuta and Melilla’s sovereignty.
The former Spanish minister still called the Spanish enclaves “vestiges of the past that interfere with the economic and political independence of Morocco and with the good relations between the two countries.”
Trujillo admitted that she expected the Spanish press to be critical of her stance.
On September 4, Trujillo supported Morocco’s claim over the Spanish enclaves, sparking controversy among Spanish officials who criticized her challenge for their “Spanishness.”
The statements pushed officials from her own Socialist Party to defend themselves, claiming that their party does not doubt the Spanish claims over both cities.
