This isn't the first time a Moroccan Internet user has faced such charges. In 2008, Fouad Mourtada, a young engineer, was sentenced to three years in prison for impersonating the king’s brother on Facebook. An international outcry and a campaign of support forced the authorities to release Mr Mourtada a month after his arrest.

Walid Bahomane's arrest is the first since a constitutional reform last summer (theoretically) revoked the “sacred” character of the monarch. The king is still, however, the focus of a great deal of devotion in the country.

A copy of the police report filed against Mr Bahomane emerged on the Internet, revealing a first: according to the document, items seized by the police are “two Facebook pages (sic) containing phrases and images insulting the sacred values, and an IBM computer.​​”

Copy of the police report filed against Mr. Walid Bahomane as posted on Facebook.

Despite calls for his release the judge decided to send Walid to a juvenile detention facility near the capital pending his trial. A group of netizens have reacted to the arrest of Mr Bahomane by creating a support group on Facebook called “Mohammed VI, my freedom is more sacred than you!”, where members are invited to publish and share cartoons of the king.

Cartoon representing King Mohammed VI posted on Facebook

The group's preamble reads [ar]:

هذه مجموعة تضامنية مع الشاب وليد بحمان، 18 سنة، معتقل بسجن الأحداث بسلا بتهمة إهانة قداسة محمد السادس على الفيسبوك. فلنثبت لمحمد السادس أن حريتنا أقدس منه

Zineb El Ghazoui, a co-creator of the group, writes on her blog [fr]:

[cette arrestation bat] en brèche la propagande de l'Etat marocain autour du changement et des prétendues avancées démocratiques.

On Twitter, some are timidly following suit. Musique Arabe tweets [fr]:

@MusiqueArabe Opération soutien à Walid Bahomane - publions tous sur nos profils la caricature de notre choix.

Despite the recent constitutional reforms in Morocco the regime does not seem prepared to tolerate any violation of its red lines. In July 2011, a few days after the adoption of the new constitution, a French newspaper, Le Courrier International, was censored [fr] in Morocco because it contained an irreverent caricature of the king.

The independent press has often suffered the wrath of the regime when it dared tackle the sensitive subject of the monarchy. So much so that the Internet seems today the last frontier where most Moroccans can still exercise their right to free expression.

Something Moroccan netizens seem to be fully aware of, inspired by the Arab spring, they seem determined to close ranks and show solidarity with Mr Bahomane.

As a result, exercising censorship will be even more difficult for the regime.

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Mouad Belghouat aka “Al Haked” (The Indignant), a 24-year-old Moroccan rap artist and outspoken critic of Morocco's monarchy, was released on Thursday from prison, where he had been held since last September.

Mouad was officially charged with assaulting a pro-regime protester but his supporters claim the charges were trumped up in an attempt to silence growing discontent. His lawyers repeated bail requests were rejected by the judge, who adjourned the trial six times.

The rapper is one of the most recognizable figures of the leaderless pro-democracy February 20 Movement, the local extension of the so-called Arab spring.

In reaction to the movement's regular protests, King Mohammed VI introduced a series of constitutional amendments in July prompting early legislative elections in November which put the Islamist PJD party at the helm of the government. But the youth-based movement vowed to continue its protests, denouncing high-profile corruption, political arrests and a monarchy that still enjoys extensive executive powers.

The announcement of Mouad's release on Thursday spread like fire on Facebook and Twitter. Several Al Haked supporters rushed to the Okacha prison in Casablanca to welcome him. A defiant Mouad walked out of prison shouting “long live the people”.

Larbi, who campaigned for the release of Mouad, shares the first pictures of the freed rapper:

Picture by Omar Radi, shared on Twitter by @Larbi_org

Shortly after his release, the rapper returned to the stage. In an improvised concert in his neighborhood, he performed in tune with a jubilant crowd of supporters (video posted by direlibghiti):

Omar Radi describes the scene [fr]:

Les gamins du quartier chantent par choeur avec #Freehaked. Concert improvisé, sono pourrie, mais tout le monde est joyeux.

Aida Alami was also there. She tweets:

Mouad on the stage… Big celebration in mouad's neighborhood to celebrate his new freedom

Hasna Ankal thinks activists should capitalize on their “success” and call on the release of more “political prisoners.” She shares this poster on Twitter:

Al Haked is Free, Now Free Everyone - Posted by Hasna Ankal

When on Thursday, the judge decided to release Mouad, the efforts led by activists seemed to have finally paid off. For months they ran a consistent campaign both online, through their website, Facebook page and Twitter accounts, and offline, organizing press conferences and sit-ins, rallying more supporters and prominent public figures around their cause.

But Thursday's court ruling remains a “bittersweet victory” for activists like Maria Karim, who was at the forefront of the Free Haked campaign. The judge in fact pronounced [fr] the rapper guilty of assault on a royalist supporter, but decided to release him because he served his sentence of four months.

This post is part of our special coverage Morocco Protests.

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Since Mohamed Bouazizi, a young Tunisian fruit vendor set himself on fire in the small city of Sidi Bouzid on December 2010, a wave of unprecedented popular protests is sweeping the Arab world. The region has seen unprecedented events that no one could ever imagine witnessing in a lifetime.

Three Arab dictators have been toppled, some others forced to engage in reforms, while in other places the confrontation is proving to be painful and bloody.

In any case, 2011 is likely to remain engraved in the history of the Arab world as the year when people started raising against their oppressive regimes.

As we bid farewell to 2011 and look ahead to 2012, we asked our authors to share with you pictures that in their eyes have marked the past year in their respective countries. The following selection represents their choices.

Tunisia

Photo by Talel Nacer, used with permission

On January, 14, 2011 thousands of protesters gathered near the Interior Ministry building in Tunis calling for the fall of the regime of dictator Zeine El Abidine Ben Ali. Later on the same day, Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia.

Afef Abroughi

Syria

Author unkown

A powerful message from “the occupied city of Kafar Nabel”, Syria.

Leila Nachawati

Lebanon

Photo by Krikorian. Used with permission

Even though Lebanon has not witnessed a revolution in 2011, the Land of the Cedars was highly affected by the developpements and turmoil in the area. But for Lebanese it's the high cost of living that is haunting them the most. Following each wage increase by the government and even before the plan is approved by parliament, prices soar tremendously.

Thalia Rahme

Palestine

Photo by Jillian C. York, used under a CC license (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Palestine: “Marching United Towards Freedom”

Jillian C. York

Yemen

Copyright Shohdi Al-Sofi, used with permission

The peaceful massive marches of Yemen which never stopped throughout the year are a testimony of Yemenis' steadfast and resilience and prove ultimately, like the billboard reads, that “victory is to the people”.

Noon Arabia

Bahrain

Picture posted on Twitter by @almakna

The above photograph, shared by @almakna on Twitter, shows the number of areas reportedly tear gassed by the Bahrain authorities in one night. On that particular day, I myself choked on the tear gas, spending the night and the following day sick and closely followed tweets and complaints by Twitter users from across the country.

Amira Al Hussaini

Picture posted on Twitter by @SanabisVoice

This photograph, from the Sanabis Voice, shows empty teargas canisters, collected from a small area, in one day. Such photographs are found in abundance online, shared by netizens on social networking sites, and tell a story that has been recurring for 11 months - a story not much of the world cares about.

Amira Al Hussaini

Egypt

Picture by rouelshimi, used under CC license (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

January 25, the first wave of protesters go to Tahrir square. It's the dawn of the revolution.

Tarek Amr

Morocco

Copyright Amine Hachimoto. Used with permission.

The little girl looking up at this Moroccan Superman pausing in front of the parliament seems to be wondering if he can fly. Maybe he's an ultra-nationalist trying to make a point? Or maybe he's a supporter of the pro-reforms group February 20? It doesn't really matter. Because behind this amazing photo by Amine Hachimoto lies a new reality in Morocco: 2011 is the year when the street has become the theater of nonviolent political expression. Something that is likely to continue in the years to come.

Hisham Almiraat

This post is part of our special coverage:

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Some videos in this post contain pictures that are graphic in nature. Viewer discretion is advised.

In January this year, following the success of the Tunisian revolution, a group of Moroccan activists launched a debate on Facebook around the question of change in Morocco. They created a group called “Freedom and Democracy Now.” A couple of days later, the group issued its first “founding” statement [ar]. It was directed at the King.

The king of Morocco Mohammed VI enjoys large constitutional prerogatives that make him an absolute monarch who traditionally reigns and rules. In a country where the head of state is considered sacred, the activists' move was unprecedented. Their message was seen as bold and risky at the same time. They ran the risk of a confrontation with the establishment but they also conveyed a message many Moroccans wanted the king to hear: make “the necessary changes in the political system to allow Moroccans to rule themselves by themselves”; “break with the past for real and irrevocably.”

Sunday, February 20, was chosen for a nationwide, non-violent demonstration to be held in all Moroccan cities. The date will mark the start of the pro-democracy movement in Morocco and thereafter so its name.

Mainstream media, mostly owned or under the influence of the government, ignored the appeal. Only a handful of independent print and online newspapers [ar] carried the message. Activists had to turn to the internet, making full use of a powerful social media tool to get their messages across, though video.

While videos were used by their opponents to discredit the movement, activists had the nerve to reveal their identities, face the camera and tell their stories themselves. They filmed protests, performed pro-change songs, live-streamed demonstrations, parodied their detractors and rallied fellow citizens to their cause.

Following is a selection of the 20 most popular and viral videos that marked the course of the February 20 Movement over the past 10 months.

First call

The first video posted by “Freedom and Democracy Now” shows Oussama Lakhlifi, one of its founders, outlining the main demands of the group [ar] (video posted by Lakomechannel):

“I am a Moroccan and I will join the protest”

A fierce online debate ensued opposing those for and against the planned demonstration. Some officials embarked on a campaign to discredit the youth-based movement while some other public figures supported it openly.

A week before the beginning of the protests, activists released a well produced video to explain why they were taking to the streets. The film immediately went viral and is believed to have played a significant role in rallying a large number of supporters around the movement [English subtitles] (video posted by Mouvement20fevrier, directed by Montasser Drissi):

Montasser Drissi's film created a meme that was copied by other activists across the country and beyond (Paris, Montreal, etc.).

“Who we are and what we want”

In an attempt to put an end to rumors [ar] and accusations activists released an “explanatory” video about the movement two days before the start of the protests [English subtitles] (video posted by Mouvement 20 Fevrier, directed by Montasser Drissi):

February 20

On the day of the protest, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched across the country. With the exception of a few instances of vandalism in Marrakesh, the protest ran peacefully, contradicting claims that the demonstration would degenerate into chaos. The movement appeared to have achieved its first victory. Veteran blogger Larbi wrote [fr]:

Le mouvement du 20 février a donné beaucoup de gages aux autorités marocaines. Charge au pouvoir marocain de ne pas être sourd et aveugle, de se montrer responsable et de répondre aux aspirations légitimes des manifestants. A chacun de prendre ses responsabilités. Et aujourd’hui le sens de responsabilité se place du côté des manifestants pas du côté du pouvoir marocain.

The king's speech

On March 9, the king appeared to respond for the first time to the protesters when he gave a speech announcing constitutional reform and pledging to relinquish some of his prerogatives to elected representatives.

For activists, the announced reforms fell short of what they had expected. They released a new video [ar] announcing a “week of action and community service to raise awareness about public service shortcomings.” The week would start with a blood donation campaign and end with a nationwide demonstration (video posted by Moroccans For Change):

A new clip [ar] was posted on the internet calling for a mass protest on March 20 (video posted by Mouvement 20 Fevrier, directed by Montasser Drissi)

March 20 saw a record number of protesters take to the streets and rally the movement in virtually every city and town across the country.

The March of “Loyalty”

In April, an obscure pro-regime group announced it was conducting its own rally. The group called for a March of “Loyalty to the king.”

The following video [ar], directed by Ghassan El Hakim, was awarded the Best Drama Award at the Paris-based Yallah Film Festival, which celebrates short films dedicated to the Arab revolutions. The actors play the roles of a supporter and an opponent of the “March of Loyalty.” The two eventually agree they will not participate after all (video posted by Che Ghassan, directed by Ghassan El Hakim):

The Makhzen

Many of the slogans raised during the protests targeted the corrupt elite in Morocco, or what Moroccans like to call the Makhzen. In the following video posted by Mamfakinch , a little Einstein explains the notion of the Makhzen in more details:

Hoba Hoba Spirit

The Moroccan pop music band Hoba Hoba Spirit then released a song in support of the February 20 movement. The song revisited the Tunisian national anthem: “When the people will to live, Destiny must surely respond. Oppression shall then vanish. Fetters are certain to break” (video clip posted by Mamfakinch):

Bloody May

On May 15, pro-democracy activists decided to march to an alleged secret detention center [fr], dubbed Guantémara and located in the outskirts of the capital Rabat. Protesters were met with a heavy-handed police response [fr].

A week later, police violently disrupted protests beating and chasing demonstrators across the streets of Rabat and other major cities. Hilana Rizky is a member of the February 20 movement. She posted the following testimony on YouTube where she describes what happened on May 22 (video posted by Moroccans For Change):

May was marked by a change in the attitude of the authorities vis-à-vis the protesters. Citizen media platforms like Mamfakinch.com played a significant role in curating and disseminating material that documented police brutality. Parody as well played a role in documenting that violence as shown in the following clip [ar], posted by Zorro of Morocco:

Songs of the revolution

Art has been a frequent resort for activists who used it to denounce police repression. In the following video [ar] rappers Mouad “L7a9ed” and Jihane sing “Mellit!” (I'm fed up!) (Video posted by l7a9d):

Moad “L7a9ed” was arrested on September 9, 2011, on charges of assault. Many believe his detention is politically motivated, and has more to do with the lyrics of his songs which openly criticize the regime. A campaign was launched calling for Mouad's immediate release. More information can be found at L7a9ed.com).

“The Ax Man”

Towards the end of May, the following video [ar] quickly became an internet sensation. It shows an anonymous ultra-nationalist threatening February 20 activists with an ax, calling them traitors (video posted by insansarih):

Change? What change?

On June 17, the king gave a second speech outlining the constitutional reform. State TV and mainstream media outlets were mobilized to convey pro-reform views. Little airtime was dedicated to opponents of the proposed amendments who had to rely on the internet to get their point across.

The following video parodies the kind of blind and uniformed enthusiasm for the reform that was often portrayed by state TV (video posted by nordahhan):

For the February 20 movement the proposed reforms fell short of their expectations. They released a new video calling for the boycott of the referendum (video posted by Mouvement 20 Fevrier, directed by Montasser Drissi):

Other videos were released to call for the boycott of the referendum including this short film [ar] directed by young filmmaker Nadir Bouhmouch:

On the day of the vote, activists armed with their cameras and cell phones spotted irregularities and posted pictures and videos on the internet. The blog 24-Mamfakinch published the following video that quickly spread across online outlets. It shows unidentified individuals, tampering with a ballot box well after the closure of the polling station and before any votes were even counted (Video posted by Referendum Maroc):

Faux reform

The new Constitution was overwhelmingly adopted but activists seemed undeterred. They released a new video in early September, calling for a nationwide protest to denounce what they consider as a faux-reform and a Constitution that would leave the monarch with a veto power over elected representatives (video posted by Movement20Fev, directed by Montasser Drissi):

Mamfakinch!

In October, prominent Arab bloggers and activists gathered in Tunis. They had this message for their Moroccan counterparts: Mamfakinch! (We won't give up!) (video produced and directed by Mamfakinch.com):

“My Makhzen and Me”

Nadir Bouhmouch is a young Moroccan filmmaker based in California. He has been following Februrary 20 young activists throughout the summer and is about to release a new film called “My Makhzen and Me!”, a film that “investigates what gave birth to the revolt and the obstacles it encounters on its struggle for freedom, democracy, human rights and an end to corruption and poverty.” Here is the trailer:

Next year, inchallah

The February 20 movement has been a driving force for change in Morocco throughout 2011. As in other Arab countries, it has used social media and the internet extensively to coordinate the efforts of its members and carry out its message. But despite the reforms conducted by the regime (a new Constitution in July, a newly elected parliament in November and a coalition government led by the Islamist PJD party that should be announced this week), the king remains the absolute ruler, with his entourage holding tremendous political and economic powers.

What role will the February 20 movement be able to play next year as revolutionary fatigue begins to gain ground? Will it be able to be creative enough to keep pace?

Zineb Belmkeddem, one of the most recognizable faces of the February 20 movement, vows to continue the struggle. She sings “long live the people!” (video posted by MoroccanYouth):

This post is part of our special coverage Morocco Protests 2011.

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The Mauritanian newspaper El Mohit [ar] explains that President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz is overseeing preparations for the meeting and has appointed senior officials to ensure the organisation of the event.

President Ould Abdel Aziz is a high-ranking military officer, who came to power in August 2008 following a coup that toppled then-President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.

February 25 Movement Rally - Picture by Dedda Ould Cheikh Brahim

The announcement of the meeting comes less then two months after local independent bloggers and members of the pro-democracy February 25 Movement were forced to cancel a similar gathering in Zouerat, northern Mauritania. The website, Mauri-Culture, reports [ar] that bloggers had experienced administrative “harassment” at the hands of the authorities and were forced to postpone their meeting to “avoid a confrontation with the regime.”

On Tuesday, Mauritanian bloggers reacted to the announcement of the upcoming government-sponsored conference by publishing an open letter to fellow Arab netizens and activists asking them not to attend.

Ahmed Ould Jedou is among many other Mauritanian bloggers who published [ar] the open letter. Following is the translation of excerpts of the document:

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Hindi Zahra is a young Moroccan singer. A talented self-taught multi-instrumentalist, the artist embraced success soon after the release of her debut album, Handmade, in 2009. Hailed by the critics as “the worthy successor to Billie Holiday”, she received prestigious prizes, the last of which in February 2011, when she won the Victoires de la Musique award for the best world music album.

Her success has led her on tour across the globe. Her sultry and intimate jazz style, often sung in English, mixing blues songs with Moroccan Berber melodies, has somehow managed to cross cultural barriers, attracting even larger audiences.

At least this was the case until last October, when it was revealed that the singer was scheduled to perform in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 12, 2011.

A Moroccan woman in Tel Aviv

The Palestinian Campaign for Cultural and Academic Boycott of Israel quickly published an open letter [fr] to the singer calling for the cancellation of her concert in Israel.

“We are surprised that you have agreed to provide entertainment to a society that practices occupation, racial discrimination, and ethnic cleansing […] while our refugees - the majority of our people! - Continue to be deprived from their inalienable right to return to their homes,” the letter reads.

To the dismay of the boycott campaigners, the concert was maintained as scheduled.

In an interview [fr] with the Moroccan press, Omar Barghouti, one of the founders of the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (or BDS) campaign, describes his disappointment at the decision of the artist to go on with her representation in Israel:

We were disappointed by [Hindi Zahra's] behavior. In her reply to us, there was a lot of hate. An Amazigh artist also tried to convince her, but she reacted very badly.

Chickens come home to roost

On Wednesday, December 14, the musical tour finally brought Hindi Zahra back home in Morocco for a concert in Casablanca, the country's most affluent and populous city.

On the Internet the controversy broke out when a group of activists, believed to be linked to the Moroccan chapter of the BDS Movement, published a call on Facebook asking people to join a sit-in outside the concert venue.

For some reason, the call was removed from Facebook a few hours later.

Blogger Ghali Bensouda published a screenshot (see bellow) of the call:

Screenshot of the sit-in call as published by Ghali Bensouda

[…] Will organize a protest […] against normalization with Israel and as a reminder that Moroccan people reject any form of normalization with the Zionists […]

Among netizens the reactions were split between those who supported the protesters, and those who, like Ghali Bensouda, saw in the protest the instrumentalisation by radical political factions of the youth-based February 20 movement, who has been leading the pro-democracy protests in the country for the last 10 odd months. He writes [fr]:

Je trouve cette décision [d'organiser un sit-in] STUPIDE ET RIDICULE.
D’abord, la chanteuse est libre de se produire là où elle veut et c’est son choix.
Deuxièmement, se produire en Israël ne veut pas dire cautionner la politique de ce pays à l’égard de la Palestine. […]
Troisièmement, cela montre clairement la main mise de certaines organisations sur le 20 février qui font de la question anti-sioniste un fond de commerce.

Ethel (@_nethels_) attended the concert and she posted pictures of the performance.

Hindi Zahra performing in Casablanca - picture poster on Yfrog by @_nethels_

In the meantime, outside of the concert venue, a number of protesters gathered chanting slogans like “Boycott Israel,” or “I don't recognize Israel,” as shown in the following video posted on YouTube by Kifachinfo:

More reactions followed on social networks. Hamza (@Hamsek) was unequivocal (fr):

[Hindi Zahra] est morte à Tel Aviv aux yeux de pas mal de monde…

Blogger Yassir deplores the involvement of the February 20 movement. He writes [ar]:

Journalist Fahd Yata, a notorious critic of February 20, has this to say [fr] about the protesters:

Les pseudo révolutionnaires du FEB 20, qui n'ont plus rien à faire depuis le 25 novembre [eléctions législatives], appellent au boycott d'Hindi Zahra. Des Fascistes!

Veteran human rights advocate, Samira Kinani, writes the following public note on Facebook in defense of the protesters [fr]:

des citoyenNes ont décidé de répondre présentsà un appel de bds
cette action qui sillonne l univers contre un régime raciste
un régime d apartheid un état voyou un état criminel..
des actions pacifiques visant à faire entendre une autre voix que celle des médias dominants
et c le tollé et ça utilise tout “femme” “amazigh” tout est bon pour essayer de discréditer une action somme tout symbolique

***

The Palestinian issue has always been a unifying cause in Morocco and, arguably, still ranks high among the main issues Moroccans do care about. In 2009, Moroccans took to the streets in solidarity with the Palestinian people, following the Israeli deadly raid on the Gaza Strip. They marched in their millions, filling the streets of the capital Rabat. But the idea of a ​​boycott, although attractive to certain activists, may seem nebulous to some and is certainly divisive among netizens.

Whether you are for or against the boycott, says twitterati Samia, you should respect the right of artists to perform freely, and protesters to demonstrate non-violently. She tweets:

When Hindi Zahra performed in Israel, it was her right. When #feb20 [February 20 movement] protests against her, it's their right too. Now move on with your lives.
The cultural boycott of Israel has been going on for years. #feb20 is not doing anything controversial.

This post is part of our special coverage Morocco Protests 2011.

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Moroccans took to the polls on Friday 25 November, 2011, to elect a new parliament. It is the first election since a constitutional referendum in July approved a series of amendments introduced by King Mohammed VI.

The youth-based pro-democracy movement, known as February 20, have criticized the new constitution for leaving the King with a strong veto power over the government, and have called for the boycott of the elections.

Voter turnout

According to the Moroccan Interior Ministry, 45% of registered voters cast their votes on Friday - a low turnout - and the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) recorded a clear victory.

Based on official data, Reda Lemniaï (@Redalinho) posts a comparative graph visualizing voter turnout in the Moroccan election, as opposed to Tunisia and Spain where legislative polls were conducted earlier this month. He tweets [fr]:

#Infographie : Résultats des #Intikhabates au #Maroc wp.me/p1fQiD-g7

Graphic posted on Twitter by @Redalinho

According to the graph, 63% (13.5 million) registered to vote and only 29% of the total potential 21.6 million Moroccan eligible voters cast their ballot.

Mahjoub Feryate (@feryate) posts [ar] the following graph showing the evolution of voter turnout in legislative elections in Morocco since independence in 1956:

Voter turnout in Morocco since independence, posted on Twitter by @feryate

According to official figures, 20% of the votes were blank or canceled. Mahjoub Feryate (@feryate) posts this picture taken in a polling station during the vote count. An official shows a spoiled ballot:

Picture posted on Twitter by @feryate

Reactions to the participation rate were mixed.

Khalid Aarifi (@khalidaarifi) tweets [ar]:

بنسبة مشاركة افضل من سابقتها و بالفوز الكبير للبيجيدي، انتخابات 25 نونبر شكلت فعلا محطة جديدة في المسار الديمقراطي للبلاد،#intikhabates

Ichrak Ma (@ichrak_ma), however, tweets:

@ichrak_ma: I am proud to announce that the vote turnout in my family is 0% :) #intikhabate #Morocco poke @Tama_Hanich

And the winner is…

As the first preliminary results were announced, the Twitter account of the PJD party, @PJDofficiel, started gathering new followers and attracting the attention of Moroccan Twitter users. Mehdi TAZI (@passiondcrire) tweets [fr]:

Les marocains ont voté à 45% pour #intikhabates mais je suis sur que l'attention de plus de 50% des marocains est porté sur @pjdofficiel.

Soon, the hashtag #PJD started trending, as highlighted by Okbi Moncef (@zeplintor) who tweets:

#PJD en trending TOPIC mondial sur twitter d.pr/2Efg sur tweet stat bit.ly/PyWVm #intikhabates

Okbi Moncef posts the following screenshot, supposedly showing the main topics trending globally on Friday night:

The unprecedented victory of the Islamist party elicited many responses amongst Moroccan tweeps. Wasseem Kabbara (@kabbara) is quick to remind the winners of the following:

Let us not forget that a true democratic system respects the minority and is responsible to offer equal opportunity.

Ibn Kafka (@IbnKafka) wonders:

Does @pjdofficiel have it in them to evolve like the AKP and challenge the “deep state” institutions? I doubt it #morocco #intikhabates

Reda Lemniaï (@Redalinho) is skeptical. He tweets [fr]:

Au 1er de l'an 1433, le #PJD gagna les élections au #Maroc. Cela ne changea rien, le Royaume étant une monarchie absolue. #Intikhabates

Moroccan expats

Moroccans living abroad and willing to vote, had to cast their ballot by proxy. Samia Errazzouki (@charquaouia), a Moroccan living in Washington DC, demonstrated in front of the White House to express her frustration for not being able to vote for herself. She tweets:

Since we couldn't vote today, me and @ManalBou decided to protest instead! http://yfrog.com/ny7xghtj #intikhabates #morocco

Samia posts the following picture on Twitter:

Picture posted on Twitter by @charquaouia

“A joke is a very serious thing”

Very late on Friday night a hashtag spread like wildfire on Twitter: #fakepress. As press releases announced the victory of the PJD, Twitter users started tweeting fake and humorous headlines, playing with popular clichés and stereotypes.

Rajae blogging on twitto ergo sum collected [fr] some of the irreverent tweets:

Benkisition !

Vote pour un, voile pour toutes

Après le printemps arabe, l'hiver islamiste

Some have celebrated the PJD victory in the most unexpected places. Late on Saturday night, Yacine Baroudi (@FasTake) tweets [fr]:

L'exception #Marocaine: #Photo célébrant la “victoire” du PJD dans… la boîte le “Silver”!!! #Marrakech http://fstk.it/xppvp #intikhabates

Picture posted on Twitpic by @FasTake

PJD's victory in the parliamentary elections is a first in Morocco. Also unprecedented, is the way Twitter and social networks in general, have been used to monitor the poll and engage with political figures.

As an increasing number of Moroccan political parties, public figures, government and non-governmental organizations join online network, it is very likely that these channels will play a greater role in the future political life in the country.

This post is part of our special coverage Morocco Protests 2011.

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Morocco will hold parliamentary elections on Friday, November 25, 2011. The poll is the first since a referendum, in July 2011, led to the adoption of a series of constitutional amendments introduced by the King and intended, officially, at reducing his prerogatives in favor of a democratically elected legislature and government.

Voters will elect members of the Lower House of the Moroccan parliament, or Assembly of Representatives, for a term of five years. The elections do not involve the Upper Consultative House, or Assembly of Councillors, which is elected indirectly in a separate process by trade unions and local councils.

The new Constitution provides that the king chooses the future prime minister, among the party that comes out first in the poll. The government is then to be constituted ​​according to a parliamentary majority.

The Lower House is elected through a closed party-list proportional representation system. This means that people will vote for party lists rather than individual candidates. According to official figures, 13 million Moroccans have registered to vote.

The electoral campaign was officially launched on November 12 and runs through November 24, the night before the election.

Some attribute the constitutional changes introduced by the king and the speed with which the reforms were carried out, to the pressure brought to bear by the February 20 movement, which has been leading street protests for the last nine months. Others, on the other hand, think the movement has lost its momentum and its appeal with the public ever since the referendum in July.

Actively calling for boycott during an electoral campaign is considered illegal in Morocco. Several activists distributing leaflets containing inscriptions such as “I will boycott. How about you?” were briefly detained in cities like Casablanca, Rabat and Tangier.

The February 20 Coordinations (the name that designates the local committees of the movement) in Casablanca and Rabat and other major cities issued a statement calling for the boycott of the upcoming poll. On Sunday, thousands of protesters answered the call by marching across the country.

Online debate

Moroccan netizens are using the internet extensively to discuss the issues raised by the upcoming legislative elections. Part of the discussion is revolving around the electoral programs of the competing parties, the question of whether to boycott or participate in the poll and the role played by the pro-democracy youth movement, February 20. The debate has been raging across social networks and blogs, and it is not uncommon to see discussions taking a confrontational turn.

Khalid Zriouli calls for a more reasoned debate. He writes [ar]:

Among the 395 seats of the upcoming Chamber, 60 are reserved for a national list of women.

Houda says she will vote. She doubts the measures taken to increase female representation in parliament can work if women do not vote on Friday. She has this to say to fellow Moroccan eligible female voters [fr]:

On nous leurre avec une égalité de surface et une parité chimérique. On nous promet constitutionnellement un droit qui n’a plus besoin d’être argumenté […]
Votez citoyennes, les citoyens qui comptent vous gouverner, ont maintenant la conscience tranquille.

The 2011 United Nations Development Program's Human Development Index (HDI) ranks Morocco at the 130th place, below many comparable Arab countries. Visiting Norway, the country that topped the UNDP ranking, Ayman could not help but make the comparison. He says he will vote but deplores the incumbent government's record. He writes [fr]:

La Norvège m’a fait pâlir de jalousie à un point où je suis devenu allergique aux déclarations ridicules d’un gouvernement qui nous a fait perdre 4 place en 4 ans et qui continue de nous faire rougir de honte par les programmes électoraux flous de ses ministres qui ont mis maintenant la casquette de leurs partis périmés.

Many citizen-driven initiatives have emerged during this election period, among them Wlad Cha'ab (Children of the People), a podcast platform co-founded by Khaled Abjik and which offers the opportunity for participants to share their arguments for or against participating in the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

The following video [ar] is the first in a series. Some participants are calling for the boycott, others say they will vote to change the political establishment. Others parody political parties' electoral campaigns.

And there is no shortage of creativity between opponents and proponents of the vote who have been waging a tit-for-tat battle on social networks.

On YouTube, pro-vote and pro-boycott videos are being uploaded. The following video was posted by the3doors. It asks viewers to participate in the poll “because one voice is not enough”:

In the following video, posted by DIRIKTEtv, and shot during a pro-boycott demonstration, interviewees express various reasons why they will not turn out on Friday, among which endemic corruption and the lack of trust in the political class.

Citizen watch

The upcoming elections will be monitored by local as well as accredited foreign observers. Some citizens, however, have decided to take matters into their own hands. Marsad.ma is a platform launched by the Moroccan Human Rights Organization (OMDH) allowing citizens to monitor the election and report on incidents or irregularities occurring during the poll using various tools such as Twitter or SMS text messaging. The website draws from the experience of the renowned Ushahidi platform.

Riad Zany interviews one of Marsad's team members:

“This year, given the changes occurring across the region and the importance of the internet as a citizenship tool, we decided to explore digital technology and new media,” said Mounir Bensalah, an observer and member of the Marsad team.

Campaign 2.0

Political parties are also trying to take advantage of the widespread use of social media by young people. Many parties and political leaders have launched their own Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. But they are late in the game according to Marouane Harmach who writes [fr]:

La forte pénétration des médias sociaux parmi les jeunes (merci le printemps arabe), a poussé les organisations demanderesse d’audience large : les entreprises, les organisations associatives, les partis politiques et …. les politiciens à utiliser ces canaux dans leur communication à l’adresse des militants et du large public.
Au Maroc, les politiciens et les organisations politiques ont compris – un peu tardivement – l’intérêt des médias sociaux et ont commencé à l’investir de manière très souvent gauche et maladroite.

La raison de cette « gaucherie » est la déconnexion des politiciens des attentes et des pratiques des catégories les plus « connectées ».

Internet, a space for public debate

Parliamentary elections are creating a passionate debate in Morocco, especially among young people. An increasingly important part of that public debate is occurring on the Internet.

It is not yet clear what role the Internet is having in real politics in Morocco, but one thing is certain: political organizations as well as activists are beginning to rely more and more on social media. The Arab revolutions may have played some part in this evolution.

This post is part of our special coverage Morocco Protests 2011.

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Moroccan state-run news agency M.A.P. boasts that “Morocco is the first country of Africa and the Arab world to have such a technologically advanced rail transport grid.”

At a ceremony chaired by King Mohammed VI of Morocco and President Sarkozy, the Moroccan Minister of Transport Karim Ghellab explained that the TGV is expected to generate new jobs and offer training opportunities in rail professions for Moroccan jobseekers.

The project is, however, causing a stir in the Moroccan blogosphere. Bloggers are raising questions about the motives behind the scheme and asking whether their country needs a project that costly.

TGV train in the French countryside. Image by Flickr user Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden (CC BY 2.0).

“Real” motives

Veteran Moroccan blogger Larbi protests against a project he deems an “economic crime”. He explains the contract was offered to Sarkozy back in 2007 as a reward to the French after they lost a lucrative arms deal against the Americans. Back then, the Moroccan government preferred the United States' Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets to the French Dassault Rafales.

Morocco offered to purchase the French TGV system to console Sarkozy, the blogger explains. Larbi writes [fr], addressing President Sarkozy:

C’est ainsi que cette aberration économique est née. D’un mélange d’ascendant psychologique que vous exercez sur les dirigeants marocains, de la volonté de ces derniers de vous plaire et du fait du prince, voire du caprice, du roi Mohammed VI. Un jour, sans étude préalable, sans aucune consultation ni étude de rentabilité, on a décidé de vous accorder un marché de TGV pour ne pas vous fâcher. En contrepartie vous avez bien voulu faire un beau discours au parlement marocain pour dire tout le bien que vous pensez du roi Mohammed VI et de la démocratie à la marocaine. C’était en 2007, c’était il y a mille ans. Mais force est de constater que ce sujet au moins vous n’avez pas changé d’avis, printemps arabe ou pas.

“Sarkozy, get out!”

Sarkozy's visit to Morocco comes at a time when the country is having an important debate on democratic reforms inspired by the Arab spring, punctuated by peaceful street demonstrations led by the pro-democracy youth movement “February 20.”

For many, the visit marks the open support of France to the controversial reforms lead by King Mohammed VI. For activist Rachid Droit this constitutes an interference in the internal affairs of Morocco. His message to Sarkozy is unambiguous:

"Sarkozy, get out! Morocco is not for sale". Poster by Rachid Droit, posted on Facebook.

Alstom connection

The French company Alstom, which won the contract to build the Moroccan TGV, is blacklisted by the BDS campaign (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) since it emerged, back in January 2010, that the company was involved in the construction of a light rail project in Jerusalem designed to connect West Jerusalem to illegal settlements in and surrounding occupied Palestinian East Jerusalem.

Mamfakinch!, a website run by a group of Moroccan activists, raises the issue and wonders [fr]:

Lors de l’attribution à Alstom de ce projet a-t-on pris en compte sa participation à la construction d’un tramway reliant Jérusalem-Ouest, via Jérusalem-Est, à deux colonies de Cisjordanie? (Pour rappel : la ligune arabe, dont le Maroc est membre, a voté une résolution condamnant le projet de tramway de Jérusalem)

High velocity costs high

Much of the controversy surrounding the TGV project stems from its estimated cost. Blogger Omar El Hyani writes [fr]:

Le coût du projet avancé jusque là était de 20 milliards de DH (dirhams), soit un peu moins de 2 milliards d’euros. Et au début de ce mois-ci, une autre surprise attendait le contribuable marocain : le coût prévisionnel du projet n’est plus de 20 milliards, mais bien de 33 milliards de DH (~3 milliards d’euros) ! Oui , vous avez bien lu, une augmentation de 13 milliards de DH (plus d’un milliard d’euros), soit 65% d’augmentation, sans qu’aucune explication ne soit fournie!

Omar goes on explaining why he thinks the cost of the project has not been subject to democratic scrutiny:

Ne soyons pas naïfs. Il existe une catégorie de projets sur lesquels les parlementaires et les ministres n’ont aucun droit de regard. Des projets tombés d’en haut. Exécutez, trouvez du financement, et venez présenter sur un tapis rouge. De préférence devant beaucoup de caméras. Quid des règles de base de gouvernance économique, des études d’utilité, de rentabilité et d’impact socio-économique, de l’état des finances publiques? Quelle hérésie!

A TGV - what for?

Blogger Kingstoune doubts the TGV is the right answer to the problems of public transport in Morocco since, he argues, it has proved to be an inadequate and costly solution in France itself. For him, the TGV is more an expression of a royal whim than it is of a true demand. He writes [fr]:

Je me demande si les responsables politiques et technocrates avaient vraiment étudié ou abordé de manière critique ce projet.
La LGV [Ligne Grande Vitesse], succès technologique, risque d’être un flop financier à l’instar de la France.
Elle semble donc être une sorte de caprice, un éléphant blanc dont certains responsables seront fiers, mais qui a de fortes chances de ne pas être utilisée par des millions de marocains comme ils l’espèrent.

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There has been a sudden surge in arrests among pro-democracy activists and online campaigners in Morocco in recent days. Three have occurred in the past week alone. Little has been reported in the press and it took bloggers to report on the arrests for the traditional media in Morocco to pick up on the stories.

The anti-corruption campaigner

The first arrest occurred on Monday when authorities in the northern city of Fnidaq apprehended blogger and anti-corruption campaigner Mohamed Douas. Mohamed is the founder of a community news website called Fnidaq Online.

The arrest, according to his friends and supporters, might be related to a Facebook group, Wikileaks Fnidaq, Mohamed founded and where he published documents allegedly exposing corruption within the local administration. Mohamed was accused of drug trafficking but a group of bloggers and online activists say the accusation is baseless.

Hamid Salim writing on Young Immigrants says the judicial process is biased and politically motivated. He writes [ar]:

A group of supporters gathered in front of the courthouse where Mohamed appeared before a judge on Thursday. In the following video (by Reporters sans limites) [ar] bloggers and activists express support for M. Douas. They describe the proceedings as unfair:

The rapper

Free Moad - picture posted on Moad's support page on Facebook

Another activist, rapper Moad Belghouat, alias Haked (Arabic for The Vindictive or The Outraged) was arrested on Friday on charges of assaulting a pro-regime demonstrator. Moad is a an active member of the Moroccan pro-democracy youth movement known as February 20.

Words of support for Moad abound on Twitter and Facebook. Blogger Ghassan Wail writes:

The 20th february movement is a protest movement in the spirit of the “Arab spring” and has been fighting for more democracy, liberty, dignity and social justice over the last seven months. Haked is one of the artists highly involved in this movement. His lyrics are famous for being outspoken and critical about the Moroccan regime. He criticizes corruption, clientelism, the oligarchy of a few families in Morocco and the monarchy's excessive wealth.
Free Moad Haked.

Moad's support group counts over a thousand members on Facebook.

On Sunday activists marched in solidarity with Moad Haked wearing T-shirts bearing the phrase “Free Haked or arrest us all.”

Free Haked - Picture from support group on Facebook

Moad supporters released the following video [ar] showing people holding a sign calling for the release of the rapper:

The poet

On Saturday, poet and political satirist Younes Belmalha, a.k.a Inkicharia, was reportedly detained. He is known for his humorous and irreverent videos mostly critical of the regime. Shortly after the news of the arrest, netizens reported that Younes' YouTube channel was being emptied of its video content. It is not clear at this point what Younes has been arrested for nor whether the deletion of the videos was the result of a third party intervention.

Following is a video [ar] of Younes reciting one of his poems. He deplores nepotism and corruption in the Moroccan society. The video is hosted by M20FevBel on YouTube:

Younes was reportedly released on Sunday. No details have emerged as to why he was apprehended.

Has anything really changed?

These arrests come only two months after the country adopted a supposedly democratic constitution, described by its advocates as one that would guarantee greater freedom of expression. Blogger Don Aminos wonders [fr]:

La question que je me pose aujourd'hui, à l'heure où tous les tyrans tombent les uns après les autres, quel résultat attendent les autorités de ces arrestations arbitraires ? La peur a basculé de camp. Vouloir intimider les manifestants me parait suicidaire puisque cela ne fait que renforcer la crédibilité du mouvement et cristalliser la haine des citoyens contre le régime. Mais est-ce que le roi est informé de ces arrestations arbitraires qui vont à l'encontre de ses intérêts? Est si oui, quelle est sa réaction ou sa position sur la question ? Lui qui nous a habitué à des beaux discours soporifiques sur la place de la jeunesse dans la société et les efforts qui vont être entrepris en sa faveur.

This page is part of our special coverage Morocco Protests 2011.

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Makassib.ma (Makassib meaning Achievements), is a website dedicated to the campaign which comes only two months before parliamentary elections expected to be held on November 25, 2011. Moroccan Twitter users used the platform to mock their government's claims.

Blogger Feryate writes [ar]:

With a touch of humor and loads of sarcasm, Moroccan tweeters decided to dedicate a hashtag, #Makassib, to parody the alleged successes of their government. Here is a small sample of what they have been tweeting:

Omar El Hyani (@O_El_Hyani):

@O_El_Hyani: ”If you can't convice them, confuse them” #makassib

Yassine (@Yastoch):

Adil Amouri (@AdilAmouri):

@AdilAmouri: En consultant #Makassib .ma, j'allais presque croire qu'on a plus de problèmes au Maroc !

Nawfal (@nawfal):

@nawfal: Ce qui est intéressant dans #makassib c'est que le web s'impose définitivement comme canal officiel de com au Maroc.Ça c'est un vrai makssab

Sana Guessous (@sguessous) links to a video made by young pro-democracy activists calling for a march next Sunday to protest living conditions. She tweets:

@sguessous: Et pan dans ta face, #Makassib !

Here is the video:

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“Stand out for yourselves and demand respect. Shame has to switch sides!” This is the cri de guerre of Majdoline Lyazidi, the 20-year-old founder of SlutWalk Morocco, a Facebook page which aims at raising awareness against sexual harassment in the Moroccan society. The concept seems to be catching on, with more than 3,000 members joining in less than 15 days since the page was first created.

The SlutWalk protest marches started out in the city of Toronto, Canada, on April 3, 2011, as a movement against excusing rape by referring to a woman's appearance. It was sparked by a controversial statement made by one of the city's police officers who told a group of young female college students that to protect themselves against rapists “women should avoid dressing like sluts.” It quickly became a global movement with rallies and marches from Sydney to London. See Global Voices coverage on SlutWalks in Costa Rica, India, Brazil and Australia.

"Respect" - Picture from SlutWalk Morocco Facebook Page

The concept didn't quite catch on in the Arab world. Some have blamed the fact on a culturally loaded, Western-centric campaign. Others explain that the region is busy fighting for greater change anyway. But there are those like Majdoline who think a genuine change must include the fight against gender-based forms of violence and a shift in the way women are treated in society.

In an interview with fellow Moroccan blogger Hind, Majdoline explains what inspired her in the first place:

[The SlutWalk movement] was a wake-up call for me. Growing up, I’ve never really understood why society kept teaching us the “don’t get raped” mentality instead of a “don’t rape” one, anchoring that way a never-ending victim blaming process of “she was asking/looking for it”.

I think it’s time to change this mentality, we’ve got to give a chance to the next generations to walk the moroccan streets feeling SAFE & RESPECTED, a feeling moroccan women are missing today.

Majdoline also recognizes the name of the campaign might be an issue:

We want this to be a Moroccan version of SlutWalk and we want it to be 100% moroccan, suiting our society, our community’s beliefs & values. But to tell you the truth, it’s hard to find a name as catchy as “SlutWalk”!

The group's founder has now teamed up with friends, young men and women, to push the idea forward. They have announced an imminent change in the group's name. Suggestions include WomenShoufoush, a play of words which in Moroccan Arabic alludes to seduction but can also be interpreted as a call to find a solution to a problem.

Reactions to the SlutWalk Morocco initiative were mostly supportive, but there are critics as well. The fact the group was launched halfway through the holy Muslim month of Ramadan seems to have angered blogger Youssef Boukhouya. He writes [fr]:

[C]ette petite communauté pointe son nez le mois sacré de Ramadan, ce qui représente un manque de respect envers les marocains, et pour exceller dans la bêtise mis à part qu’ils ont choisi un mauvais timing, ils ont pris un très mauvais exemple pour exprimer leurs soi-disant bonnes intentions avec « le mouvement SlutWalk » ou la marche des salopes tout simplement ! alors imaginez une foule de filles marocaines défiler dans les rues à moitié nues, et nous dire que c’est pour la bonne cause… eh ben C’EST DE LA FOUTAISE rien de plus ! et c’est une chose que je trouve personnellement horrible et inacceptable !

For their part, Moroccans For Change question the wisdom of importing readily available protest methods from the West. They write:

Some of us feel the same way about the Moroccan version of SlutWalk. While we condemn violence against women, we wonder about blindly borrowed activism methods. Clearly, “No” means “No” means “No”. But what’s the Slutwalk have to do with Morocco?

Supporters of SlutWalk Morocco include blogger Mahmoud Khattab. He explains [fr] why he likes the idea:

Personnellement j’adhère au mouvement, par conviction, et par peur. J’ai peur pour ma mère, mes sœurs, mes tantes, ma grand-mère […], et puis j’adhère parce que je vois une lueur d’espoir, même petite mais qui mérite d’être supportée, pour une société qui respecte vraiment les femmes, nos femmes, vos femmes.

In an interview with the local press [fr], Majdouline says her group wants to remain independent but it is also open to feminist and human rights groups in Morocco to help it organize a march in favor of women's rights.

This post is part of our special coverage SlutWalks 2011.

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The Moroccan activist website Mamfakinch! came under a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on Sunday 31 July, 2011, which blocked access to its main platform for several hours. The website is now back online.

What is Mamfakinch! and why has it been attacked?

Mamfakinch!

In the wake of the Arab revolutions, a couple of Moroccan online activists launched a militant website on February 17, 2011. They called it Mamfakinch!, which in Moroccan Arabic means “We won't give up!”.

In the six months of its existence, Mamfakinch! has attracted a record audience of over a million unique visitors across its two main outlets which comprise an online news portal and a blog. The site's goal, according to its members, is to provide a platform for free expression for opposition voices and pro-democracy activists.

Against the backdrop of the Arab revolutions, Mamfakinch! set about to aggregate, curate and disseminate citizen media material, emulating the work of similar outlets in the region, notably the celebrated Tunisian news portal Nawaat.org.

But as Mamfakinch! readers and supporters have grown in number, so too have its detractors. “The website has gained a lot of popularity in the Moroccan activist blogosphere but we had also attracted a lot of enemies. Attacks against the website started very early on but they are becoming increasingly aggressive” says this site's co-manager who also explains that the platform is receiving regular threats and countless derogatory comments. [Please note: the Mamfakinch! representatives interviewed in this article wish to remain anonymous].

One video recently surfaced on the Internet purporting to show an attack against Mamfakinch!. The site was quick to publish an article [fr] in which it (very sarcastically) dismissed the alleged attack as “a miserable spoof”.

The attack

On Sunday, 31 July, while the website was securing exclusive live coverage of the pro-democracy marches and demonstrations being held across the kingdom, access to its main portal was denied. The blockade lasted for several hours before the site again became accessible late in the evening.

According to the site administrators, Mamfakinch! came under a large-scale DDoS attack. “The attack seems to originate from thousands of dynamic IPs located in Saudi Arabia (!)” says the website's webmaster. The site's server, in a matter of a few hours, became overloaded with the amount of new automated IP requests.

“The site is now up and running and we have taken measures to ensure that such attacks don't happen in the future… although no one can be absolutely sure” says the co-founder of the site, who adds that his colleagues, “for obvious security reasons, prefer not to disclose details of the steps taken to secure access to the site.”

Like Ben Ali's Tunisia

Before the revolution in Tunisia, Morocco was praised for the relative freedom enjoyed by its Internet users. But the country is now seeing a surge in attacks against online dissidents, several of whom have had their Facebook or email accounts hacked into. Phishing techniques were probably used to harvest account passwords.

DDoS attacks, infiltration techniques and blockage of dissident domain names were common during the Ben Ali era in Tunisia, and these types of attacks are increasingly becoming commonplace in Morocco. The website of the irreverent magazine Demain Online has not yet recovered from an attack it suffered over a month ago. The website 20Fevrier.com, believed to be related to the pro-democracy movement in Morocco, also came under attack several weeks ago. It has been offline ever since.

Paradoxically, in the Arab world, the most experienced activists usually come from the most repressive environments. After a long confrontation with their governments, Tunisian and Egyptian activists have become experts in circumvention tools. This expertise is now being transferred to other countries in the region where militants are learning each day as they struggle against attempts to censor their voices online.

This statement from a member of Mamfakinch! sums up the situation quite well: “The more they attack us, the more we learn! Let them come!”

This post is part of our special coverage Morocco Protests 2011.

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