Algeria Accused of Altering Morocco’s Founding Date on Google in Digital History Dispute

Moroccan internet users are up in arms against a campaign aimed at modifying the date of the founding of Morocco on Google, allegedly led by Algerian activists. The search engine Google would display the date of the founding of Morocco as April 7, 1956. These activists, say Moroccans, have always opposed the fact that Algeria is a relatively young post-colonial country (independence acquired in 1962) while Morocco is an ancient and secular kingdom. Thus, they want to spread the idea that Morocco is a "state created by France" without significant history before the protectorate period.

"How can we be founded in 1956 when we were the first state to recognize the independence of America in 1777?" writes Mohamed Lazar, a digital content creator, on his Facebook page. "This project is part of the Algerian regime’s policy of hostility towards Morocco," said Algerian journalist and analyst Oualid Kebir to Morocco World News. He will add: "Of course, this will anger the Moroccans, or rather it has already angered them. [...] Morocco was not