In Defence of Marxism

The Moroccan regime has decided to crack down on left-wing activists once again revealing the ugly repressive face of the capitalist monarchy of Mohamed VI. During the May Day demonstrations and activities the police arrested many activists in the cities of Agadir, Ksar-el Kebir, Tiznit, Taza, Sefrou. In the city of Chaouen the Mayday demonstration was banned.

Some of those arrested have already been condemned to severe prison sentences. Two activists in Agadir (one rural worker active in the trade union FNSA of the UMT and one secondary school student) have been sent to jail for two years and have been fined 10,000 Dh each. In Ksar-el-kebir five are still being detained (4 members of the ANDCM, the unemployed youth association and the local general secretary of the UMT).

Their only crime has been to "attack the sacred values of the monarchy" - in reality for shouting slogans against the royal dictatorship.

The president of the ANDCM and other members of this organisation have also been detained. They were arrested on May 16, when they were preparing a demonstration in Khenifra to commemorate the assassination 13 years of the activist Mustafa El Hamzaoui. This murder is still unsolved.

It is not an accident that the dictatorship is resorting to repression against one of the most combative organisations of the left in Morocco. Unrest is spreading everywhere in the country. The regime fears a repetition of the wave of demonstrations and mass actions of Autumn 2006 (see The Moroccan Spring - الربيع المغربي). It is resorting to repression in the hope of staving off mass protests. Those brutal prison sentences are proof of the profoundly undemocratic nature of the regime of Mohamed VI who is being presented by the international media as a modern, reform-minded and even progressive monarch. Some independent journalists, such as Ali Lmrabet, who have been censured in the last few months, have come to the conclusion that today there are even fewer democratic rights and freedoms than under the king's father Hassan II.

Capitalism in Morocco can never guarantee democratic rights. Only the revolutionary overthrow of the capitalist royal dictatorship can give the poor masses the democratic rights and freedom they need to fundamentally transform their lives.

In Defence of Marxism and Marxy.com support the appeal that has been issued to protest against this wave of repression. Here follows a model resolution.

"We protest against the repression suffered by trade unionists and activists of the ANCDM and AMDH following the Mayday demonstrations in Morocco. Those activists have been arrested, tortured and condemned to prison sentences.

"The accusation of "attacking the sacred values of the monarchy" reveals in and of itself the utter undemocratic nature of the laws and constitution of Morocco. Those laws are hindering all real freedom of expression and opinion and are a threat to all democratic rights in general. Those laws must be repealed.

"We demand the immediate release of Mahdi Barbouchi and Abderrahim Karrad, imprisoned in Agadir and of Thami Khayati, Youssef Reggab, Oussama Ben Messaoud, Ahmed Al Kaateb and Rabii Raissouni who have all been jailed in Ksar-el Kebir, in the Larache province."

Please write to the Moroccan embassy in your country. For a full list (in French), see here. Also send faxes and emails to:

Fax Prime Minister: 0021237768656 or 0021237761010
Fax Ministry of the Interior: 0021237767404
Ministry of Justice: Mr. ALAOUI Hachem - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Telephone: 037-73-13-50 - Fax : 037-40-23-98
Fax Governor of Larache : 0021239913779
Fax Governor of Agadir : 0021228840249

Send copies of your protest messages to Marxist.com and Marxy.com ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )