Thousands Petition to Cancel Morocco’s First Oktoberfest Amid Cultural Debate

On the initiative of the Muntada Taaziz Al Huwiya (Forum for the Consolidation of Identity in Arabic), more than 19,000 Moroccans have signed a petition to protest the organization of Oktoberfest in Bouskoura, near Casablanca, even though Morocco is the second largest exporter of wine in Africa after South Africa and a consumer of alcoholic beverages such as beers. Condemning the organization of the beer festival, the petitioners recalled that Morocco is the "country of Islam and the Emirate of the Faithful". They also denounced the distribution of traditional Bavarian pork-based foods at this event.

"At the Forum for the Consolidation of Identity, we consider this initiative to be an odious act in conflict with Moroccan laws, Islamic law and Moroccan customs," the petition states. The latter has been addressed to the Moroccan authorities to cancel the Oktoberfest scheduled for October 28. The forum hopes that its petition will collect 25,000 signatures. States "should respect the particularities of the countries in which their institutions operate," the petition adds.