Protests in Morocco
Rabat: 2009, 2022
In June 2009, more than 100 refugees organised a sit-in in front of the UNHCR headquarters in Rabat, lasting several days. In a press release1, the Rassemblement de Tous les Réfugiés au Maroc (RTRM) denounced the unbearable living conditions refugees in Morocco had had to endure for many years. They criticised the constant outbursts of violence by authorities, arbitrary arrests, no access to work, education, and health care, UNHCR’s inefficiency as well as a general lack of protection inside the country. The demonstrators demanded not only an improvement of their situation, but rather their immediate resettlement to countries in which their rights would be respected.
“We are chased by the police because we hold no documents. And we frequently get beaten up by them. Moreover, people who ask for reinstallation are beaten up by the guards at the UNHCR office.”
- Michael McCullough, a refugee from Liberia, describing the reality of refugees in Morocco2
At that time, Moroccan authorities categorically refused to issue residence permits to refugees recognised by UNHCR, preventing them from finding legal work, accessing the education system, health care, and other public services. Moreover, refugees were repeatedly arrested and deported to the Algerian border, as Moroccan security forces refused to accept the papers issued by UNHCR. In total, 250 of the approximately 600 refugees, recognised by UNHCR in Morocco, previously had submitted resettlement applications to the UN agency. The refugees also had written a joint open letter to various European embassies, in which they disputed the legitimacy of UNHCR and the agency’s claimed monopoly in representing their interests.3
“It's [the UNHCR refugee card] a beautiful thing, not? But it is of no use to us. It is the responsibility of the UNHCR to see to it that our rights are respected, but all of us are condemned to a life as beggars in this country.”4
- Stéphane Gnako, RTRM spokesperson, criticising UNHCR’s inefficiency in protecting refugees
After first negotiations, many false promises, and maintaining a continuous sit-in for over a week, the refugees were forcibly evicted by the police on the night of June 27, 2009. An attempt to get back in front of the UNHCR headquarters was again violently prevented by security forces. Shortly after UNHCR representative Johannes van der Klaauw promised the demonstrators that he would engage in negotiations again, various human rights organisations throughout Europe declared their solidarity with the protesters and wrote a collective letter to UNHCR.
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"People who ask for reinstallation are beaten up by the guards at the UNHCR office."
Refugees during an anti-racist protest in the Moroccan capital of Rabat, 2022 (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
The announced negotiations ended without any positive result. On the contrary, the Moroccan police once again attacked the refugees under the use of brute force. At least four were injured so severely that they had to be taken to hospital. It remains unclear how many people were arrested as part of the police repression.5 Following a request of UNHCR to remove the demonstrators from the front of their office, five refugees were put on trial for their participation in the protest.6
However, this was neither the first nor the last time that UNHCR decided to turn the demands of refugee protests down in order to maintain its own moral authority. In fact, the delegitimisation, criminalisation of, and violence enacted against refugee protesters from UNHCR's perspective is often deemed necessary as they challenge the agency's legitimacy as alleged sole advocate and protector of all refugees.7
On June 28, 2022, a protest was held outside the UNHCR's office in Rabat. The protests followed the brutal killing of 29 humans and the injuring of hundreds more attempting to enter the Spanish enclave of Melilla four days earlier.8 A reported number of 70 refugees demonstrated against the inhumane treatment and violence inflicted by Moroccan law enforcement agencies. They criticised UNHCR’s silence in response to the recent events, demanded answers for the murder of their comrades, medical treatment for those injured, and to claim their right to protection, residence permits, resettlement to safe countries, decent work, and access to health care.9
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1 https://www.lacimade.org/maroc-les-refugies-se-mobilisent
2 https://www.globalissues.org/news/2009/06/23/1911
3 Scheel, S., & Ratfisch, P. (2014). Refugee Protection Meets Migration Management: UNHCR as a Global Police of Populations. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 40 (6), 924-941.
4 https://www.globalissues.org/news/2009/06/23/1911
5 https://www.aktionbleiberecht.de/2009/07/coyote-chronik-der-fluchtlings-proteste-in-rabat
6 https://www.lacimade.org/maroc-communique-du-rassemblement-de-tous-les-refugies-au-maroc-rtrm
7 Scheel, S., & Ratfisch, P. (2014). Refugee Protection Meets Migration Management: UNHCR as a Global Police of Populations. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 40 (6), 924-941.
9 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220629-morocco-migrants-protest-at-un-refugee-office-in-rabat