TikTok Hate Speech Scandal Ignites Franco-Algerian Tensions

His remarks mix incitement to violence, conspiracy theories, and anti-Semitism. In videos posted on TikTok, Abou Zayd openly calls for violence against Moroccans. In one of the videos, he repeatedly shows his son’s Moroccan passport, which he describes as a "trash can." "He doesn’t need it. I’m going to burn it," he added. He stated that his son preferred Algeria and would never go to Morocco. He added that his son held a French passport and would only identify as French. "France is a Zionist country and we know who they are... It is necessary to unite, and anyone who refuses to unite is considered a Zionist... We must eliminate all opponents," he continued. Describing his plan as an "attack plan, not a defensive plan," the individual repeatedly called for action against the "threats" to mosques and communities.

These remarks have sparked outrage on social media. In a post on X, Algerian political analyst Oualid Kebir shared a letter he addressed to the French Minister of the Interior, describing the influencer’s posts as "calls to track down Jews and Moroccan nationals in France and eliminate them, under the pretext of defending mosques, including the Grand Mosque of Paris." Stressing that these remarks constitute incitement to racial and religious hatred, public calls for violence, threats against communities and places of worship, and an obvious danger to public safety, he calls for an urgent investigation. Also, he requested the immediate removal of the videos and the suspension of Abu Zayd’s TikTok account (the TikTok account has since been deleted). Finally, Kebir calls on the French authorities to intervene very quickly.

https://x.com/oualido/status/1967507448647815394