Morocco activists continue fight, a year after incident

MARRAKECH, Morocco — It all began with a fish seized by the police.

Morocco is marking one year since a fisherman’s gruesome death spawned a social protest movement against police abuse — an event that has drawn comparisons to the 2010 death of a Tunisian vendor that sparked the Arab Spring democracy uprisings.

Since October 2016, the northern Moroccan town of Hoceima in the ethnically Berber Rif region has seen unrest stemming from the death of 31-year-old Mouhcine Fikri, an impoverished local fish seller.

Fikri was crushed in a garbage truck while trying to retrieve a valuable swordfish seized by police, who said its sale was illegal. Since then, a protest movement called Hirak Rif has held demonstrations to demand social justice and economic development.

In May, Moroccan authorities cracked down on Hirak Rif ’s leaders and a large number of protesters, arresting between 330 and 400 people, according to the Moroccan Human Rights Association (AMDH). Yet the movement’s influence is still being felt.

On Tuesday, Moroccan King Mohammed VI fired four government officials following alleged delays in development programs for Hoceima.

This week also saw the start of the trial of Hirak Rif ’s charismatic leader, Nasser Zefzafi, which is being closely followed by Moroccans.

The Rif region enjoys a strong regional identity and has historically always enjoyed some level of independence from the central government. In 1921, when Morocco was colonized by France and Spain, the legendary rebel leader Abd el-Krim installed a republic in the region after defeating the Spanish army.

Although the Rif Republic was dissolved just five years later in 1926, it deeply marked the collective memory.

The Hirak Rif movement has its roots in the region’s marginalization, as well as in the evolution of a political consciousness and a desire for social justice, a redistribution of wealth and respect for the rule of law.

Therese Di Campo The Associated Press Protesters shout slogans during a demonstration July 20 in the northern town of El Hoceima, Morocco. Since October 2016, the province has been shaken by protests.