French Diplomat’s Tweet Sparks Outrage Among Moroccan Social Media Users

In a video posted on October 18, the French embassy in Morocco announced the visit to the kingdom of the deputy minister in charge of Foreign Trade, Attractiveness and French Abroad, Olivier Becht. This publication, like all the previous ones from the French embassy in Morocco, sparked a wave of negative comments from Moroccan Internet users, one of whom denounced "the autism, ignorance and bias in favor of Algeria" of Emmanuel Macron, as well as his policy of reducing visas.

And to continue in a second publication: "Exit Crédit Agricole, Lydec subsidiary of Veolia soon, Axa insurance, Gervais, Danone... and others." This last post saw the reaction of the new ambassador of French public diplomacy in Africa, Anne-Sophie Avé, who replaced Sylvain Itté in this position last September. "What about the thousands of Moroccan employees? Moroccan unemployment?", she reacted on her official account, thus underlining the situation of unemployment in which the employees of these French companies in Morocco would find themselves if they were to close.

The reaction of the French ambassador sparked a wave of outrage on the web. Moroccan Internet users did not fail to remind the ambassador that in the event of a departure, "these companies will be taken over by Moroccan capital and managed by Moroccan skills". "But dear ambassador, do you think that when a French group withdraws, it closes the shop and turns off the light? The company is resold to other players," comments another. "What about the dividends that go up to France? Unemployment of French bosses?", another one throws at her.

Moroccan Internet users considered this publication by the French ambassador to be "arrogant", "contemptuous", "condescending" and reflecting an outdated "neo-colonialist" idea. This new blunder by the French authorities on Moroccan social networks leads to questioning the effectiveness of this new communication policy in "partner" countries wanted by President Emmanuel Macron.