Morocco’s youth movement slams official media

RABAT--Members of Morocco’s February 20 reformist movement lashed out at official media for their perceived bias in covering the pro-democracy rallies that took place on March 20 throughout the country.

The February 20 movement has reported plans to sue Morocco’s channel two for its perceived reporting of false information on the March 20 protests that demanded an end to corruption and expressed discontent King Muhammed VI’s reform pledges.

According to members of the movement, the TV channel “manipulated and falsified” statements made by protestors on March 20 and “lied about the numbers” of Moroccans that took part in the protests, according to a statement issued by the movement last Friday.

“Although state TV covered the March 20 protestors, it adopted the same old misleading strategy,” the statement added.

The statement also accused the official state TV of twisting the announced reasons behind the rallies. The TV allegedly reported that the reason for the March 20 protests was to call for speeding up the implementation of the reforms highlighted in a royal speech on March 9 following nationwide rallies on February 20.

“The truth is that the protests were staged to express reservation on the king’s speech especially the fact that the king is still being treated as a scared figure,” according to the movement.

The movement declared its solidarity with Moroccan journalists working in state media and who also demanded in a protest drastic change through breaking free from all “obsolete” traditions.

“The media has to stop this unproductive propaganda that underestimates the intelligence of Moroccans and violates the ethics of the profession,” the group wrote in its page on the social networking website Facebook.

The movement called upon Moroccans to boycott official media on Friday, March 29 in support of journalists and to condemn the “falsities that the media keeps promoting.”

The movement also called upon Moroccans to refrain from paying water and electricity bills for March. In Morocco the government collects taxes to subsidize the state media through electricity and water consumption bills.

The youth movement also called for sit-ins in front of front of utilities offices, where bills are paid, to raise awareness among citizens to the public funding for the media that are seen as biased.

The youth movement also called upon residents of the city of al-Hoceima to withdraw their money from the Popular Bank of Morocco for its refusal to release a video captured by one of its surveillance cameras that allegedly shows five people being torched to death after they broke into one of its branches.


(Translated from the Arabic by Sonia Farid).

According to members of the movement, the channel “manipulated and falsified” statements made by protestors on March 20 and lying about the numbers of Moroccans that took part in the protests, said a statement issued by the movement Friday.

“Although state T.V. covered the March 20 protestors, it still adopts the same misleading strategy based on the orders they receive,” said the statement.

The statement also accused official T.V. of twisting the real reason behind the protests. According to the media, protestors took to the streets to call upon the government to speed up in implementing the promises made by the king in the speech that followed the start of the protests on February 20.

“The truth is the protests were staged to express reservation on the king’s speech especially the fact that the king is still being treated as a scared figure.”

The movement declared its solidarity with Moroccan journalists working in state-owned media outlets and who demand a drastic change through breaking free from all “obsolete” traditions.

“The media have to stop this unproductive propaganda that underestimates the intelligence of Moroccans and violates the ethics of the profession,” the group wrote in its page on the social networking website Facebook.

Boycott campaigns

The movement called upon Moroccans to boycott official media on Friday March 29 in support of journalists and to condemn the “falsities the media keeps promoting.”

The movement also called upon Moroccans to refrain from paying water and electricity bills for March since 25% of their value goes to official media, which, they argue, does not serve citizens properly.

Youths from the movement are to stand in front of utilities offices, where bills are paid, to raise awareness among citizens and explain how by paying they are taking part in supporting the official media.

February 20 youths instigated residents of the city of al-Hoceima to withdraw their money from the Popular Bank of Morocco for its refusal to submit a video captured by one of its surveillance cameras that shows five people burning to death in one the bank’s branches during sabotage that followed peaceful protests.

(Translated from the Arabic by Sonia Farid).