A court in El Jadida convicted Moroccan YouTuber Ilyas El-Malki of public indecency and sentenced him to four months in prison with a fine of MAD 5,000 (USD 502) late Tuesday. The court acquitted him of charges related to inciting hatred and discrimination against the Amazigh community.
The charges followed a live-streamed video that went viral in which El-Malki made caustic remarks about Amazigh culture.
The remarks, which reached his 1.6 million Instagram followers, sparked outrage, especially as many of his audience members are young and impressionable.
Prominent Amazigh activists, including political figure Rachid Bouhaddouz, filed lawsuits accusing him of “hate speech.”
In an interview with Radio France International (RFI), Bouhaddouz decried the dangers of such rhetoric. “We must not trivialize this kind of speech or write it off as dark humor. If we normalize it, it could have serious consequences,” he said.
Mohamed Almou, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, expressed concern about the amount of influence El-Malki wields on social media. “His audience, largely teenagers, could adopt his hateful rhetoric and normalize such divisive language,” Almou said, calling for stronger safeguards against content that undermines cultural cohesion.
Activists argued that his behavior exemplifies the broader issue of online influencers trivializing social divisions for entertainment.
Earlier this year, El Malki served three months in prison after having been convicted of assault and theft.