French Authorities Attempt to Deport Moroccans to Caribbean Island, Sparking Legal Battle

The first defendant, a 31-year-old born in Casablanca, does not speak French. An interpreter was called in to facilitate communication during the trial. "When the police arrested you, you used a box cutter blade to cut your left forearm. It’s quite open as we can see in the photos," the judge explained, brandishing photos of the Moroccan’s injury, which he acknowledged, reports Actu-Juridique.

This is the third time the young man has been banned from entering French territory. "I was afraid they would send me back to Barbados again like the first time, that’s why I cut myself to defend myself," he said, answering the questions of the presiding judge, Philippe Langlois. The defendant recounts through his interpreter that he left Morocco to go to Italy via Brazil, Barbados and the West Indies. "Why this route? Is the shortest route to Italy really to go through Brazil? I’ll have to review my geography..." Langlois ironized.

For his lawyer