Ismail Lghazauoi: Moroccan activist charged for Israel boycott
Ismail Lghazauoi, a Moroccan anti war protester affiliated with the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) has been charged with incitement to violence after calling on the public to stop cargo ships allegedly carrying arms to Israel, according to TheNewArab.
A 34-year-old Agricultural engineer, Ismail Lghazauoi may face up to one year in prison and a fine of $5,000 dollars, a court said on November 25th.
He was arrested on November 19th after calling on port workers and the public to block the arrival of two Maersk cargo ships in Casablanca, he said were carrying Israeli military equipment.
Videos went viral of Ismail Lghazauoi and his fellow BDS activists giving speeches and denouncing Morocco ties with Israel at the rally.
BDS Morocco confirmed that some workers at the Tangier port did refuse to unload the ships but overall, the protests were minor.
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Ismail Lghazauoi has remained in custody since, having bail denied to him by a Casablanca court, prompting the Moroccan Association for Human Rights to demand his immediate release.
His detention was condemned by the global BDS movement as a “serious assault on fundamental freedoms”, while his perplexed lawyers said the court decision “defies logic” given Ismail’s “clean record and rising career as an agricultural engineer”.
Morocco, which normalized ties with Israel in 2020, has increasingly cracked down on pro-Palestinian activism since the outbreak of war in Gaza.
Protesters have urged the government to tear up the agreement with Tel Aviv and divest from any companies doing business with Israel.
The government had to use force to break up demonstrations around Carrefour stores in December 2023, which BDS movement has targeted over its ties with companies facilitating Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
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BDS pressure in Jordan forced the closure of all Carrfour stores in the country this month, according to TheNewArab.
In Morocco, thirteen BDS activists are facing trail for their part in the December blockade but have been granted bail.
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita has, in the past, defended the normalisation pact, arguing that maintaining relations does not equate to endorsing the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza.
While this may be true in principle, activists believe that any agreement with Israel endorses the country’s war machine and its actions in Gaza, which the international community is rapidly beginning to view as illegal.
TheNewArab
