Sore Throat And Menstruation

"Ashab Yuridia Dustur jadid the" Open Letter to Mohammed VI

RABAT – “Il popolo vuole una nuova costituzione” ( Ashab yurid dustur al jadid ), “il popolo rifiuta la costituzione degli schiavi”, questi gli slogan che da domenica 20 febbraio rimbalzano da una parte all’altra del territorio marocchino, da Tangeri a Marrakech, dalle grandi città ai piccoli villaggi remoti del Rif, dell’Atlante e dell’Orientale. Anche domenica 6 marzo, le manifestazioni promosse dal movimento di giovani nato su Facebook , sulla scia della rivoluzione tunisina e di quella egiziana, hanno animato in maniera pacifica le piazze dei principali centri del paese (Casablanca, Tangeri, Marrakech, El Jadida, Oujda). Le forze di sicurezza, however, did not show as much maturity and, as in the case of the sit-in in Rabat, reacted with gratuitous violence and unjustified.

Freeze in Rabat

The sun is slowly gliding over the white roofs of the medina, ready to hide behind the blue line of the ocean. The avenue Mohammed V, the old town that reaches the central station located in the new city, is a swarm of sound and color, a bustle of cars and passers-by, like every Sunday, spill over into mass in the center of the capital. At first glance, it seems the culmination of a quiet holiday, but for the dozens of trucks parked on the sides the great tree-lined avenue crowded with policemen in riot gear. The local coordination of the Movement February 20th this morning opened a "watch art" in front of the maison blanche, to revitalize the protest actions that a fortnight is uninterrupted succession on a national scale. Indeed, advancing along the sidewalk dell'avenue, there is a certain tension in the air.

On 20 February, the first manifestation of the movement, about 300,000 people had fallen in the street, fifty-three centers in the country, calling for an end of absolute monarchy and the immediate transition to a democratic regime. Since then, demonstrations and sit-ins continued spontaneously, in big cities on the Atlantic coast in the small villages of the interior.

's almost 17:00, when the street lights in contrast to the ocher color of the sky seem to paint a scene looking dreamy, almost unreal. In front of the parliament building came together about five hundred activists. In addition to the young cyber, there are representatives of human rights organizations, activists of opposition parties and some members of Islamic associations and Amazigh, all gathered by the same claims. Karama, Hurra, the Makhzen the Ra'y! ("Dignity, freedom, or Makhzen - the monarchical system of control - or subjects ") is the slogan shouted by the crowd while shaking placards and banners reading" stop unnecessary reforms, we want real change "," democracy now "," freedom is necessary. " Then silence. The bodies of protesters blocked. The whole street seems to stop abruptly, struck dumb, inanimate. The only sound to break the spell is repeated shooting of the photographers who immortalized the postures of the protesters and turned for five minutes in mimi anti-regime. Bodies on the ground and raise his arm in victory, fists uplifted in the air, hands outstretched to the sky, mouths sewn with tape to denounce the lack of freedom print. At center stage, "the dark of the Moroccan Justice" hits the unarmed people represented by a young man in chains.

A fragment of FREEZE, avenue Mohammed V, Rabat (Photo: Alice Dufour-Feronce)

"We have proposed a freeze, a form of peaceful mobilization, and Alternative trying to attract the attention of passersby and observers in general. Our goal is to overcome the circuit Facebook to arouse the interest and participation of the Moroccan average, which for weeks has been terrorized by the regime's propaganda and therefore does not know the true nature and the demands of the movement, "said Nizar Bennamate, cardboard ax in his hand, as it heads along with the rest of the group towards the garden of the Maison Blanche, a short walk dall'assise national under the stern gaze of the security forces.

"Too many police, give us schools and health"

According to the program broadcast on the network from the coordination of 20 February in Rabat, the vigil would have to continue reading artistic and musical performances, but the violent intervention of the Police dispersed the demonstrators in minutes. At about 17:30, as the crowd saw its ranks swell and the first musicians were preparing to board the small makeshift stage, a cordon of officers equipped with helmets and batons stormed ashore, leaving some members of the movement. Salmiya, Salmiya! ("peaceful, peaceful!"), The response in unison the entire sit-in, that before leaving the Avenue Mohammed V wanted to emphasize the non-violent protest, making it even more incomprehensible the repression carried out by police.

The police charges against the sit-in, avenue Mohammed V, Rabat (Photo: James Granci)

"They wanted to provoke us, would have sufficed the slightest reaction on our part to trigger a full-scale assault" is the comment of Abadila, unemployed forty-one of the promoters of the event. In fact, around the Maison Blanche, were ready reinforcements. "The regime justifies this attitude by saying that our efforts have not been authorized by the prefecture and are therefore illegal. But the Moroccan law said otherwise. A court ruling issued a few years ago found that the spontaneous sit-in did not need to ask permission, unlike the parades, "says Professor Monjib Maati, this at the time of the charges, making no mystery of his disappointment at the short-sightedness shown by the authorities in handling protests.

What happened in Rabat Sunday, March 6 is not an isolated case. The same day the police harshly repressed the demonstrators took to the streets in Marrakech, Tetouan and Tangier. Dozens injured or ended up under arrest, according to press for human rights NGO. "The people want an end to corruption" is the slogan chanted by hundreds of tangerois gathered together in Beni Makadi, before the intervention of troops and riot police water cannon against the protesters, some of whom have been waiting for the advance of the "Turtle" in knee and with arms raised (YouTube video). Once again, the response of the crowd was peaceful, "Police too, give us schools and health." Despite the non-violence that marked the protest movement since its inception, becomes more and more frequent use of unjustified force against him, as the case of Fes, Sefrou, Guelmim, Kenitra and the Imzouren last few days. Do not forget, in the overall budget of the protest, the nine deaths recorded during the demonstrations at the end of February (only seven in the Rif region).

“La rivoluzione è in marcia…”

Il Movimento 20 febbraio, tenuto in scarsa considerazione dalle forze politiche nazionali al momento della sua comparsa e screditato dalla stampa ( Aujourd’hui le Maroc , Al Massae , Pouce …), che non ha perso occasione per insultarlo e attaccarlo mostrando mancanza di professionalità, sembra aver già raggiunto un primo risultato. Le sue proposte, le sue rivendicazioni e le sue dimostrazioni sono al centro del dibattito che ha animato l’opinione pubblica nelle ultime due settimane. “Si può dire che c’è un prima e un dopo 20 febbraio”, afferma a ragione Oussama Khalfi, basco nero e kefiah al collo, il volto più noto dei cyber-dissidenti rimasto contuso durante le cariche della polizia alla maison blanche. Gli fa eco la docente di Studi politici internazionali (Università di Losanna) Mounia Bennani-Chraïbi, che sulle colonne di Le Monde scrive: “è stato compiuto un grande passo; la rivendicazione di una monarchia parlamentare, lontana dal monopolio politico ed economico, non è più un tabù”.

Tutti i partiti (anche i più conservatori e fedeli alla monarchia), perfino i giornali di regime sembrano ormai convinti della necessità delle riforme. Un voltafaccia che da un lato cerca di indebolire il potenziale “rivoluzionario” del movement, but the other increases the pressure on the sovereign from which politicians, intellectuals, and representatives of civil society, expect an immediate and concrete. "The revolution is being driven. It will make her or against her? If you will carry with her, he must lead by example and lead the people on the path of freedom, social justice and democracy. (...) If you want to continue to pretend nothing happened, the revolution will backfire. And in this case, the wave overwhelm all during the transition, "says the writer Abdelhak Serhane in his open letter to Mohammed VI ( Le Monde, March 4, 2011).

Nonostante le aperture e le promesse di transizione democratica che ne avevano accompagnato l’ascesa al trono, il monarca ha mantenuto la concentrazione di poteri (esecutivo, legislativo, giudiziario, militare e religioso, come recita la stessa costituzione) ereditata nel 1999 da Hassan II. Mohammed VI regna e governa, senza che ci sia alcun contropotere istituzionale in grado di limitare le sue decisioni. In più la holding reale ONA-SNI, presente nei principali settori di investimento (banche, assicurazioni, telecomunicazioni, industria e immobiliare), non può essere oggetto di alcun controllo e domina in modo tutt’altro che trasparente le aste pubbliche. “Non è questa la monarchia moderna che i marocchini expected. Need a new social contract, Mohammed VI has to relinquish its monopoly powers and accept the formation of a constituent assembly independent, as required by the Movement February 20th and organizations supporting it, "said Oussama Khalfi. "The Arab spring, starting in Tunis and Cairo, has led to the revival of subjugated peoples for too long. Morocco, perhaps in ways and at different times, will do no exception. "

PS: While I was writing this article came the official reply of Mohammed VI to the claims of the Movement February 20th. The king, in his address to the nation on the evening of March 9, announced the formation of a committee (of his appointment) which will be in charge of the constitutional review and will submit its findings to the king by next June. The guidelines that will work on the Committee, stated in his speech, are encouraging (implementation of the recommendations of yesterday, judicial independence, constitutional recognition of Amazigh identity and greater powers to the prime minister), but there is no mention elimination Article 19 of the Constitution which declares the sacredness of the monarch, is the de facto hub of absolute power in the hands of the sovereign. It will be interesting to see what the reaction of Movimento (che ha previsto una nuova giornata di mobilitazione nazionale domenica 20 marzo), se i giovani dissidenti marocchini si piegheranno alle concessioni (verbali) di Mohammed VI o continueranno il loro cammino fino al raggiungimento di tutti gli obiettivi prefissati.

P. P. S.: Secondo quanto riferisce il sito di informazione indipendente Lakome.com, Abdeltif Manouni, designato dal sovrano come presidente della commissione per la modifica della costituzione, ha precisato oggi 10 marzo che "non ci sarà una nuova costituzione ma solo una riforma di quella in vigore", di cui verrà conservato l'impianto generale. Inoltre, lo stesso Manouni, ha dichiarato che "non si può parlare di una monarchia parlamentare come obiettivo di questa riforma". Il Movimento 20 febbraio ha risposto al discorso del re rilanciando la sua piattaforma rivendicativa e dicendosi pronto a continuare le mobilitazioni, in primis l'appuntamento fissato per il 20 marzo.