France Expels Moroccan-Born Activist Abdel Zahiri, Citing Security Concerns

A former member of the yellow vest movement, Zahiri has already been the subject of several convictions, including a four-month prison sentence for threats against a police commissioner, and a three-month suspended sentence for obstructing traffic and endangering the lives of others on the A7 motorway, reports Le Dauphiné. Following these events, he had reduced his presence in the demonstrations to devote himself more to online activities, often controversial, such as interviews with personalities accused of conspiracy theories.

Under house arrest since last March, after the expulsion order issued against him, Zahiri did not undertake any steps to organize his departure to Morocco, nor to obtain a duplicate of his lost passport. The order also indicates that there was a "risk of evading the expulsion measure" and that his actions constituted a "threat to public order".

Arrested at his home on June 12, Zahiri was taken to the administrative detention center in Nîmes before being put on a plane to Casablanca on June 14. His lawyer, Me Samir Hamroun, expresses his concerns about his client’s fate in Morocco, a country he does not know, without family or personal ties. A hearing before the administrative court in Paris is scheduled to determine whether Zahiri, who is married and has two children, can be authorized to return to France.