Moroccan Minister Rejects French, Opts for Arabic, English or Spanish at Health Conference

A video posted on social media shows Ryad Mezzour, Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade, rejecting a journalist’s request to speak in French during the proceedings of the second edition of the African conference on risk reduction in health, organized by the Moroccan ministries of Health and Agriculture in the city of Marrakech, from September 27 to 29, 2023. The Moroccan official responded to the journalist that he preferred to speak in Arabic, English or Spanish.

Relations between Morocco and France are at their lowest, with the Sahara issue as a backdrop, the French aid to the victims of the violent earthquake that Morocco did not accept. For years, Rabat has been waiting for Paris to recognize its sovereignty over the Sahara, as countries like the United States, Spain and Israel have done. French senators, former president Nicolas Sarkozy and other French politicians have even called on Emmanuel Macron to take the plunge, but he remains reluctant. "France’s position is important, because the European position depends on it. So we can expect more pressure from Rabat on Paris," analyzed Aziz Boucetta of the media Panorapost.

Recently, Moroccan Internet users launched an online campaign calling on the Moroccan authorities to impose visas on French people wishing to visit the kingdom. The hashtag #طبقوا_الفيزا_علي_فرنسا (impose a visa on France) spread like wildfire on X (ex-Twitter). This online campaign follows the expulsion by the Moroccan authorities of the deputy editor-in-chief of the French weekly Marianne’s world service, Quentin Müller, and his colleague, the reporter and photojournalist, Thérèse Di Campo.

🚨 #Urgent Une vidéo du ministre de l'Industrie Ryad Mezzour est devenue virale après qu'il ait préféré s'exprimer en arabe 🇲🇦, anglais 🇬🇧 ou espagnol 🇪🇸 plutôt qu'en français 🇫&#127