Stranded Moroccans Protest in Paris, Demand Repatriation Amid COVID-19 Travel Ban

Nearly 7,000 people blocked in France are impatient to return to Morocco. They are demanding their right to be repatriated after being prevented from returning to their country following the closure of the airspace by Morocco on March 14 due to the coronavirus pandemic, reports Atlasinfo.fr. In this regard, the demonstration was organized in front of the Moroccan embassy in Paris and around the chancellery to express their discontent.

Gathered in front of the embassy, which was closed for the occasion and surrounded by security forces, they were unable to gain access to the diplomatic representation. In a video widely circulated on the web, we see the demonstrators in discussion with the representative of the police forces. The latter invites them to regroup and appoint representatives in order to discuss with the competent authorities.

Before Parliament, last Tuesday, the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs reiterated the government’s willingness to repatriate Moroccans still stranded abroad. In his explanations, the head of Moroccan diplomacy also revealed that his department is taking care of 6,852 of the 32,000 blocked abroad, particularly in terms of accommodation, health care, and psychological support. The ministry of foreign affairs also covers the costs of medicines, surgical operations, childbirth and treatment sessions, including chemotherapy, radiology and hemodialysis for these compatriots.

According to the same media, the situation of Moroccan nationals has deteriorated both materially and psychologically despite the support of some of them by the supervisory ministry and the strong mobilization of the Moroccan associative fabric in France. It should be noted that in the Paris region, three Moroccan women blocked have given birth to twins, triplets and a boy respectively. All three have been taken care of by the Moroccan embassy in Paris.