Morocco writers voice solidarity with Al-Rif protesters

By Mohamed al-Tahiri and Khaled Majdoub

RABAT (AA) - The Moroccan Writers Union on Tuesday expressed solidarity with an ongoing wave of demonstrations in the northeastern Al-Rif region and called for the release of detained protest leaders.

In a statement, the union urged the government to refrain from arresting protest leaders and to release all recently detained activists.

“We are following with great interest and concern the popular uprisings taking place in the countryside,” the statement read, going on to declare its “full support for the just demands of the people of the region and solidarity with their peaceful struggles”.

The union also called on the government “to respond to the demands of the Al-Rif protests instead of ignoring them”.

It also hailed “national efforts exerted to overcome existing tensions”, while decrying attempts by certain parties “to exploit the suffering of citizens and their difficult circumstances to satisfy political ambitions”.

Last week, Justice Minister Mohamed Aujjar put the number of people arrested for protesting in Al-Rif at more than 100, 86 of whom were still in police custody.

In a related development Tuesday, 150 Moroccan journalists issued a joint statement calling for the immediate release of seven reporters and bloggers arrested while covering the Al-Rif protests.

The wave of demonstrations was initially sparked last October by the death of Mohsen Fikri, a local fisherman in Al-Hoceima, one of the region’s largest cities.

In an incident that quickly drew widespread condemnation, Fikri was crushed to death by a garbage truck while protesting attempts by local authorities to confiscate his fish.