Moroccans of the world: Ryad Mezzour’s "little phrase" causes an uproar

During a conference in Casablanca on February 27, Ryad Mezzour addressed a group of engineers: "You’ve come back home, so what? It’s your country! Do I have to thank you because you’ve come back home?" His remarks, particularly the expression "stay there!", were perceived as insensitive by part of the diaspora.

For several entrepreneurs interviewed by Le Matin, such as Radoine El Atallati, while the underlying message is understood, the form is considered "condescending". These MREs, who often abandon stability in Europe to respond to the Royal Call, claim not to be seeking privileges but simply "fraternal recognition and benevolent support".

Conversely, some members of the diaspora defend this "unfiltered" discourse. Communication professional Mohssin Datssi believes that attachment to the homeland is not a matter of bargaining. According to him, the return must be a spontaneous and disinterested act, far from any "victim mentality".

Expert Yassine El Yattioui sees this statement as a worrying institutional signal. He recalls that MRE transfers exceeded 117 billion dirhams in 2024, or nearly 8% of GDP, but laments that the diaspora is valued for its economic flows without being fully integrated as a citizen actor.

This paradox is illustrated by the absence of officials during a trade union meeting in Rabat on February 9. This meeting aimed to guarantee the social rights of 500,000 Moroccans in Italy, whose contributions evaporate in a persistent legal void since the signing of a bilateral agreement in 1994.