Marruecos denuncia insultos a la población y al monarca alauí provenientes de Argelia

Morocco's National Press Council (CNP) has denounced the violation of journalistic ethics and the lack of proper professional conduct of the Algerian media outlet Echorouk, which broadcast a satirical programme with attacks on the Moroccan people and King Mohammed VI.

The CNP published a statement in which it referred to a "satirical programme by the Algerian channel Echorouk which clearly attacks the Moroccan people and His Majesty the King using language that is degrading and degrading of dignity, and which is far from the satirical programmes broadcast by civilised channels that limit themselves to commenting and criticising without insulting, degrading personal image or harming people".

According to the CNP, this programme "used offensive expressions against the person of His Majesty the King and contemptuous of the Moroccan people, while clearly calling for war", with "flagrant violations of the ethics and professional conduct of the press".

The content of the Algerian TV product also "attacked all Jews, a practice that is forbidden by the laws of the world that do not tolerate any discrimination between people based on their ethnicity or religion", as the official note reported by the Middle East Monitor added. 

The CNP stressed its strong condemnation of the "media bias expressed by this programme", while warning against "fomenting animosity and hatred between peoples", which is contrary to the proper role of any media.

According to the complaint, the official channel Echorouk, in its programme Weekend Story, insulted the person of King Mohammed VI, with the participation of Suleiman Saadawi, a representative of the ruling party in Algeria, the National Liberation Front. The channel, which expresses the official point of view, has deviated from the respect due to heads of state, violating international standards, as reported by Al-Arab media.

The Council also urged the Moroccan media to refrain from any similar reaction, to ensure respect for journalistic ethics and professional conduct, as well as objectivity and integrity. He also called on them to work for the consecration of the spirit of brotherhood between the two peoples of Morocco and Algeria, despite the political differences that may exist between the two North African states, especially on issues such as Western Sahara; There is a majority international consensus on its consolidation as an autonomous region within the sovereignty of the Moroccan kingdom, despite the opposition of the Polisario Front, which is demanding the holding of a referendum on independence that has little support in the international arena, a weak support within which the Algerian nation is framed. 

The CNP also urged Algerian journalists and media to distance themselves from anything that could damage fraternal relations between the two peoples and to banish and reject all those who seek to create a climate of tension and confrontation and stir up feelings of hatred and violence.

According to L'Economiste, there is unanimous indignation in Morocco following the provocations of the Algerian channel Echorouk. Along with the position taken by the CNP, the National Association of Media and Publishers (ANME) also denounced the "immoral" and "reprehensible" content broadcast by the official Algerian channel. The ANME had already warned the Algerian media about "immoral and abject" attacks on Moroccan entities, such as the Monarchy itself. 

The Moroccan Federation of Newspaper Publishers (FMEJ) also reacted, expressing its surprise at "Echorouk's irresponsible behaviour, which has nothing to do with freedom of expression or satire". 

In this regard, according to Al-Arab, the Algerian media are leading a fierce campaign to derail Morocco's achievements on the Western Sahara issue by insulting the Moroccan monarch, in a move that drew condemnation from the political and popular sphere in the Moroccan kingdom. Morocco continues to gain support for its sovereign stance on the Sahrawi region, especially after Donald Trump's previous US administration supported the autonomy formula for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty, while the North African country established diplomatic ties with Israel under US mediation, as did other Arab countries with respect to the Israeli state, such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan. Morocco also saw major nations such as the US and the UAE announce the opening of consulates in key cities such as Dakhla and Laayoune, further strengthening ties with Morocco. 

These attacks on the Moroccan people and symbols of the Alawi state could now be interpreted as a campaign led by the official Algerian media, after Morocco managed to deepen its diplomatic and political victories on the Sahara issue by liberating the El Guerguerat border crossing last December in the face of the Polisario Front's belligerent stance, as reported by Al-Arab. 

Mohsen Nadoui, director of the Moroccan Centre for Strategic Studies and International Relations, in statements to Al-Arab, attributed this media campaign to the "known progress on the Sahara issue with the US recognition of its Moroccanness and the increasing announcements of the opening of Arab and international consulates in the Moroccan cities of Dakhla and El Aaiun".