At a time when the Moroccan government is facing pressure due to the significant increase in the prices of energy and food products, users of social networking sites circulated a video whose publishers claimed that it shows Moroccans recently calling for the departure of Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.
In the video, a group of people appears during what appears to be an official reception in Morocco, during which chants are heard.
The accompanying text read, “The Moroccans raise the Akhannouch slogan, ‘Leave’ in front of King Mohammed VI.”
The clip received thousands of views on the pages of social media, in light of the fact that the Kingdom has been suffering for several months from the high prices of several materials, most notably fuel, which has reached record levels since mid-June, and the inflation rate has risen to 5.3 percent, according to the Central Bank.
The Moroccan government is facing pressure as a result of this, as unions and opposition parties are calling for setting profit margins for fuel distribution companies, most of which are owned by Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, which also raises criticism of a “conflict of interest.”
old video
However, the circulating video dates back to years past. After cutting it into static scenes, the research indicated that it was published on several Moroccan pages on social media in June 2018.
“Citizens demand Akhannouch’s departure in front of the king in Tangier,” the accompanying comment said, during the inauguration of King Mohammed VI’s fishing port and recreational port in Tangiers.
The protest against Akhannouch, who was then Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, coincided with a campaign to boycott three brands in Morocco, including his own fuel company.
The campaign, which was launched on Facebook without being endorsed by anyone, targeted Africa fuel distribution stations, Sidi Ali mineral water and Danone products, in order to pressure these companies, which hold the lion’s share of the market, to lower their prices.
This campaign sheds light on the “marriage of money and power”, and the conflict of interests of people in decision-making positions as well as economic activities.