Three Moroccan non-governmental organizations issued a joint statement on Tuesday, denouncing French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent statements addressed specifically to the Moroccan people as “blatant interference” in the kingdom’s internal affairs. They plan to protest.
In a recorded speech tweeted out on X (formerly Twitter) on Sept. 12, Macron said, “I wanted to address Moroccans directly to tell you that France was devastated . . . by this terrible earthquake.”
“We have the means of providing direct humanitarian aid,” he went on, before acknowledging that arranging for international assistance was up to King Mohammed VI and the government. “We are at their sovereign decision’s disposal.”
While Macron expressly recognized that a decision to arrange foreign aid is for King Mohammed VI and the Moroccan government to make, he added that he “wished that, out of respect for everyone, controversies would stop during this sorrowful moment.”
His direct address to Moroccans caused significant vexation, with many Moroccans interpreting it as “nostalgia” for the colonial era.
The Moroccan Organization for Citizenship and Territorial Unity, the National Observatory for Royal Youth and Media, and the National Council of Green March Volunteers said they now intend to protest on Friday in front of the French embassy in Rabat.
The associations criticized Macron for politicizing the natural disaster, stating that the Moroccan people have already initiated humanitarian efforts to assist those affected.
Macron’s controversial commentary came after Morocco accepted four official offers for earthquake relief assistance from neighboring Spain, as well as the United Kingdom, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.