Morocco: Pro-Democracy Movement Faces State Repression · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

This post is part of our special coverage Morocco Protests 2011.
When earlier this year a small group of Moroccan activists launched a Facebook campaign asking people to demonstrate on February 20, 2011, no one could predict that the call would drive a nationwide movement for change. Three months and a dozen marches, sit-ins and rallies later, the Moroccan blogosphere is asking where should the movement go from here and what new strategies to adopt in face of mounting police repression.
For many, the movement has achieved what political parties have failed to do in several decades: breathe new life into the political system in Morocco and force the monarchy to concede reforms. But as the movement vows to keep up pressure on the regime by calling for weekly, nonviolent demonstrations across the country, the authorities seem increasingly determined to repress protests in the streets, while at the same time launch a campaign to discredit the movement.
Casablanca Protests – Pictures published on Flickr under a CC BY 2.0 licence
Some bloggers are suggesting the “February 20″ youth movement should consider a strategic turn. Others are warning that the repressive attitude adopted by the regime could ultimately lead to a radicalization of a protest movement that has so far been careful not to attack the regime head on.
Blogger Mullionel believes that the escalation in police violence could radicalize the protesters and lead to a situation where authorities could lose control. He writes:
There is an ever increasing danger of serious slippage with the current policy of repression. It may provide a fortuitous spark to radicalize the majority of protesters who are, so far, calling for democratic reforms and not an end to the regime as in Libya and Syria.
Last week's reports have shown officers clubbing a woman holding a child. Such scenes showcase how easy it is for events to go out of control and for a seminal and powerful scene to happen and to be instantly transmitted for everyone, which will lead to an increased radicalization, and a larger dissent among the public.
Recent development in neighbouring countries has shown that increased repression often leads to bigger opposition because the wall of fear has crumbled across the region.
Chana Nawfel is concerned about the polarization of opinions around the pro-democracy movement, especially, he says, after the violent police crackdown of last Sunday's (May 29) protests. He writes [fr]:
On parle de plus en plus de radicalisation de la rue après les effusions de sang du dimanche dernier. Ce n’est pas faux, mais la radicalisation est bipartite : Il y a une partie des manifestants qui souhaite désormais élever le seuil des revendications et commence à pointer du doigt la monarchie, mais il y a une autre radicalisation tout aussi grave : une partie des citoyens, non hostile au changement à la base, se radicalise en refusant désormais d’y contribuer, à cause de certains préjugés sur le mouvement du 20 février ou quelques un de ses membres. Les deux radicalisations se nourrissent l’une de l’autre : la surenchère des revendications irrite les conservateurs, et la sclérose des royalistes enrage les progressistes; et chacun campe dans son ghetto. Cela ne fait que fragiliser la cohésion sociale, indispensable à la création d’un contre-pouvoir, seul garant d’une réelle avancée démocratique.
Ahmed T.B. warns that if the repressive approach adopted by the Moroccan police continues, the worst may yet to come. He writes:
The more the government uses violence to suppress demonstrations, the more the people will take to the streets to voice their dissatisfaction. We are not far from the day when young demonstrators will stop running, and instead clench their fists on the throats of those uniformed brutes and their walkie-talkie totting commanders. The odds for a peaceful transition are slim. I fear the worst is yet to come.
Nadir Bouhmouch is a Moroccan filmmaker and activist. He fears the repressive attitude of the state is plunging the “February 20″ movement into a monotonous stalemate. He believes the image projected by the movement is just as important as the message it intends to convey. He writes:
Recently, the state upped it's efforts to block the people from protesting by utilizing violence. Consequently, the people themselves have begun to take a different, less coherent and sometimes more belligerent approach. This change in attitudes is perceptible: the aesthetic appeal of the protests has been significantly compromised. We no longer see the poetry circles and freeze flash mobs, we no longer see a significant number of women, we barely even see any banners or flags! A protest without something to visually designate it's message is a failed protest. The aesthetic appeal of a protest is what makes it attractive to the media. The revolution in Egypt, for example, provided the cameras of the world with spectacular images of diversity in the crowd, creative banners and innumerable flags. It had an appeal.
Nadir goes on suggesting a few steps which, he says, could add some color to the movement:
1. Women must be encouraged to join.
2. Carry a banner or a flag.
3. Create an art piece; sing, dance, write, film or paint for the movement.
4. Hold an independent film screening.
5. Hold an art show.
Younes Benmoumen writing on Capdéma shares his fears about the crisis he thinks the Moroccan society is now embroiled in. He writes:
J’ai peur de ce peuple que notre gouvernement est en train de nous forger. Il est fait de trop de serveurs, de femmes de chambres et de désœuvrés débrouillards. Voila pour leurs conditions économiques. Il est fait de trop de soumis et de trop de révoltés. Voila pour leurs conditions politiques. Ces deux ensembles préparent un avenir inquiétant. Ce n’est pas là une société pacifiée que je vois, mais un ensemble décousu, où une part que l’on voudra toujours majoritaire, sera satisfaite par peur du pire, et l’autre révoltée parce que le vivant.
Younes continue saying:
A ces inconscients qui ordonnent la matraque : vous transformez le besoin de réformes en envie de révolution. Les humiliations peuvent être ravalées, mais point trop n’en faut. Elles se vomissent aussi.
This post is part of our special coverage Morocco Protests 2011.