Moroccan Restaurant Faces Backlash Over Alleged Discrimination in Marrakech

On Instagram, Amira Azouzi, a young Moroccan photographer, posted a story to denounce the discriminatory behavior of the restaurant "Le Salama" towards its customers, reports TelQuel.

In her story, Amira recounted her misadventure. She confides that about a year ago, she had been contacted by a member of the restaurant’s management, via Instagram. He offered her a dinner. The counterpart: to post an advertisement for the restaurant on her personal account.

On the day of the meeting, she and her friend who accompanied her were denied access, on the grounds that the restaurant was full. But, to their great surprise, the bouncer let in two blond and white tourists who had not made a reservation.

Reading her story, the subscribers to her page have made virulent comments. More than a dozen people claimed to have heard of the same kind of thing or to have experienced a similar situation at the "Salama", a Marrakech restaurant. Despite the deactivation of the "Reviews" section on the place’s Facebook page, TelQuel claims to have read comments denouncing the situation.

Contacted by the media, Nordine Fakir, the owner of the restaurant, defends himself: "We are a Moroccan restaurant offering traditional Moroccan cuisine. So of course our clientele will be mainly foreign. It’s not a choice or a selection we make. And it’s not because we don’t accept Moroccans. It’s simply because in general, Moroccans are not interested in coming to eat a tagine."