Would you have a link to this important article ? It didn't show up in google,
Michel On Mon, Nov 7, 2016 at 2:37 PM, peter waterman <[email protected]> wrote: > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Richard Greeman <[email protected]> > Date: Sun, Nov 6, 2016 at 6:33 PM > Subject: [Participants] Internet and social movements in Morocco > To: [email protected] > > > *Behind the Demonstrations in Morocco* > > > > By Richard Greeman > > > > On Wednesday Oct. 26, the well-known Moroccan historian and human rights > activist Maâti Monjib and five of his colleagues were hauled into the High > Court at Rabat to answer charges of “attacks on national security” and > “receiving foreign funds.” They are facing up to five years in prison for > their activities as investigative journalists, human rights advocates and > members of the “February 20th Movement” -- the Moroccan version of “Arab > Spring” of 2011. > > > > Two days later, anti-government demonstrations spread across Morocco after > social media spread the story of Mousine Fikri, a fishmonger crushed to > death inside a garbage truck as he tried to block the destruction of a > truckload of his fish confiscated by police. The February 20th Movement, > long assumed dormant, sprang back to life and took the lead in organizing > the protests, which spread to 40 cities. > > > > These two events – the Monjib trial and the demonstrations sweeping the > country -- are hardly unrelated. Monjib and his co-defendants, journalists, > media activists, and fighters for human rights, were already a thorn in the > side of the regime even before the 2011 rising. Since then they and their > colleagues have courageously struggled for media freedom while building the > on-line infrastructure of information and interaction that makes possible > real-time on-the-ground mobilizations like those taking place this week. > Their efforts have not gone unrewarded, despite years of government > harassment including base defamation campaigns in official media, bogus > arrests on morals charges and the current treason trial. As today’s > headlines illustrate, social media remain a potent tool in the hands of the > oppressed, and the authoritarian regime of King Mohammed VI had “good” > reasons to persecute media activists like Monjib and his friends. > > *A Long Tug of War* > > The mastery of social media has apparently leveled the playing field in > Morocco’s long struggle for democracy and human rights. On the ground, it > helps coordinate mass mobilizations challenging the regime in the streets, > demanding an end to corruption, brutality, and injustice summed up by the > cry (and hash tag) of *Hoga!* *(*oppression). His Majesty, out of the > country on an official visit, has not returned to take charge of the > emergency. In any case the authorities dare not attempt to repress the > demonstrations and sit-ins by force on the eve of the upcoming COP > conference in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh, at which the Monarchy’s > international reputation as a progressive island of stability in the Arab > world is at stake. The timing couldn’t be worse for Mohammed VI. > > The tug of war on the ground is matched by propaganda war in the air in > which for once both sides are well armed. The regime controls all the > official “vertical” media and can spin the truth in any direction. The > popular movement ripostes with its Internet-based, horizontal social media > and investigative journalist-bloggers. Here’s how the story of Mousine > Fikri’s death plays out in the rival media. > > The regime is going through the motions of satisfying the call for justice > without actually seeking justice. The Royal Prosecutor in the town of Al > Hoseima noisily prosecuting eleven officials. This made the *N.Y.Times. *But > don’t look too closely. To calm the fury, the eleven police and fishery > officials have been locked up, but for “forgery” (in fact faulty paperwork > in recording the incident). They will be released when things calm down. > However the Prosecutor is *not* investigating the question of who gave > the order to turn on the crushing machine at the back of the empty garbage > truck. (The fish had not yet been loaded). According to the independent > on-line journal *Le Desk,* this operation requires the cooperation of *two > *workers: the driver to turn on the electricity in the cab and his > assistant to pull the lever at the back of the truck, where Mr. Fiki and > his friends were presumably visible. Eyewitnesses have been quoted saying > they heard someone give the order: “crush him.” > > The authorities are classing Mr. Fiki’s death as an “accident.” In the > social media, it is called a “state-crime.” Few believe the regime will > keep its promises to “investigate” Fiki’s death: after five years the > Interior Ministry still has not found who was responsible for the deaths of > 15 protesters on Feb. 20, 2011 -- the date which gave the popular movement > its name. The regime, through its official and allied websites, has also > been flooding the web with disinformation designed to confuse and discredit > what the protestors and the independent media are saying. These wild > stories are not likely to be believed by anyone but dedicated loyalist > > * Background to this Struggle* > > The democratic uprising in Morocco (also known as “Revolution2.0” or “the > social media revolution”) was not defeated in the Spring of 2011, only > stalemated in its struggle with the *makhzen *(or deep state) that rules > supreme behind the façade of a progressive, pro-Western monarchy, based on > well-controlled moderate Islam (the King is also Commander of the > Faithful). In July 2011, Mohammed V succeeded in diverting the broad > democratic movement’s demands into electoral channels by proposing a new, > more “liberal” constitution in a snap referendum. > > > > This “compromise” Constitution gained a hardly credible 98.7% of the > votes, and has never been enforced, *au contraire. *As the democracy > spring faded into memory, the *makhzen, *thirsty for revenge, began > tightening the screws on February 20th and Human Rights activists and above > all on the independent investigative journalists, who expose corruption and > oppression. For example my good friend Ali Anouzla, the independent > journalist who in 2011 first brought the news of the uprisings in Tunisia > and Egypt to the Moroccans, was imprisoned in 2013 for “inciting terrorism” > (in fact for exposing the corruption of the Monarchy). Anouzla was > arrested again on Sept. 17 and held without charge for a little over a week > before being formally accused of « material assistance to a terrorist > group, » « advocating terrorism, » and « initiating terrorist acts. » On > Oct. 25, after strong international protests, Anzoula was provisionally > released. > > > > Meanwhile, during 2009-2016 over at the Center for Study and Communication > in Rabat, hundreds of young journalists and human rights activists were > being trained to use the electronic tools of citizen-journalism, in > particular the App known as StoryMaker (mentioned in the indictment against > Maâti Monjib and his students). The Center was founded by Monjib (Professor > of History at the University of Rabat) and named for the tolerant medieval > Arab philosopher Ibn Rochd (Averroes in English). > > > > *Repression* > > > > As repression increased in 2015, the government forced the Center to > close. Monjib, an internationally known scholar who frequently attends > conferences, was stopped at the Casablanca airport and banned from > traveling. Only at the end Monjib’s 20-day public hunger strike did the > government agree to lift the ban. Next came a series of groundless > accusations culminating in the Rabat High Court trial for “attacks on state > security” and “mishandling funds,” a trial that once again was adjourned > last week, perhaps because there is no evidence. > > > > Another reason why the regime is trying to discredit Monjib is that he > edited a book entitled « *Islamists versus secularists : Dialogues and > Confrontations* » and brought representatives of two independant Islamic > Parties together with Socialist and Secularist leaders on his campus. This > was the first public dialogue between the two sides, which have often > settled their differences in blood, and was covered by Al Jazeera and other > serious media. These meetings continued and resulted in the *rapprochement > *of the two sides in a common pro-democracy movement, such as has > recently been achieved in Tunisia. The *Makhzen, *whose policy is “divide > and rule,” rightly considers this *rapprochement *a threat to its > hegemony. > > As a result of these activities, Monjib has been the object of a sustained > campaign of calumny aimed at destroying his reputation as a scholar, human > rights activist and man of peace. Pro-government websites continue to spew > filth about Monjib’s impeccable personal and financial life. Monjib > himself analyzed these techniques in an article published before he himself > became a victim: First, activists are attacked in media close to the secret > services so as to discredit them and prepare public opinion for what is > coming next. He distinguished three types of slander: sex for Islamists, > drugs for young activists and money for Left personalities. Next are > publically accused of “high treason,” “espionage,” “drug possession,” “tax > evasion,” “illegal business,” etc., often changing the charges and keeping > them tied up in court. > > A defense committee (supported by Noam Chomsky) has been established in > France, and funds and support are very much needed. Please sign up at > [email protected] (dollars and pounds accepted). > > > > *Theory and Practice* > > > > Among the ibn Rochd Center’s most promising graduates are two of Monjib’s > young co-defendants before the High Court of Rabat: Samad Iach and Hicham > Mansouri. Last year, the scholarly, slight Mansouri was arrested, convicted > and sent to prison a trumped-up charge of living off prostitution. Iach and > Mansouri are now in exile in Paris, where they are working as journalists > and studying communications at the University. Mansouri’s > thesis-in-preparation documents how on-line discussion of democracy and > revolution actually *preceded *the revolts of 2011 and shows how “people > with a common interest in democracy built solid networks and organized > political actions.” He concludes, “armed with their Smartphones connected > to the Internet, thousands of young activists and citizen-journalists have > succeeded in getting around censorship and providing information in real > time while encouraging sharing, comments and interactions among the > citizen-users.” This is clearly bad news for corrupt despots everywhere, > Morocco not excluded. > > > > According to *Forbes, *Mohammed VI is the richest man in North Africa and > the fifth richest on the continent. The King has control over and profits > from the national economy in every sphere, for example phosphates, > Morocco’s most profitable export, as well as the fishing industry. His > Majesty has imposed an electoral system which makes it impossible for any > party to win an absolute majority, and the new Constitution, devised by a > commission all of whose members were nominated by the King, leaves all > power in his hands. Unlike his father, Hassan II, who during his long reign > (1961-1999) was infamous for his use of kidnapping, torture, and long-term > imprisonment, Mohammed VI, a progressive, modern autocrat, prefers new > methods of repression, similar to those used by the ‘progressive’ and > pro-Western Aliev dictatorship in post-Communist Azerbaijan, considered > one of the worst human rights violators in the world.[1] > <#m_-5876017178777201986_m_743564307291440496__ftn1> Mohammed VI has > excellent reasons to want to take revenge on Professor Monjib and his > friends, and today His Majesty is stuck between a rock and a hard place. > Stay tuned. > > > > Although the world looks dark these days, the continuing tug of war in > Morocco inspires hope… and solidarity. Please contact: > [email protected] > > > > Nov. 1, 2016 > > > > ------------------------------ > > [1] <#m_-5876017178777201986_m_743564307291440496__ftnref1> > https://blogs.mediapart.fr/hicham-mansouri/blog/181016/affai > res-monjib-et-yunus-maroc-azerbaidjan-memes-techniques-de-repression > > > > _______________________________________________ > Participants mailing list > [email protected] > http://internetsocialforum.net/mailman/listinfo/participants > _internetsocialforum.net > > > > > -- > *Click here for Peter's recent writings* > <https://www.dropbox.com/s/o8s52g2y905rq6w/WatermanGmailSignaturePanel%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20Updated.docx?dl=0> > > > _______________________________________________ > NetworkedLabour mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.contrast.org/mailman/listinfo/networkedlabour > > -- Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at: http://commonstransition.org P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/
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