VZCZCXYZ2280
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHRB #0827/01 2791654
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 061654Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0714
INFO RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS RABAT 000827 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
State for NEA/MAG, DRL/NESCA AND NEA/PPD 
London for MOC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL KPAO MO
SUBJECT: MOI Temporarily Bans Independent Daily Over 
Inscrutable Cartoon 
 
Ref: Rabat 608 
 
¶1.  (U) This cable is sensitive but unclassified. 
Please protect accordingly. 
 
------------------- 
Summary and Comment 
------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On September 28, Morocco's Ministry of 
Interior (MoI) banned an independent daily from 
publication, seizing copies of the newspaper in 
circulation, and shuttering its offices.  The move 
followed publication of a cartoon showing recently- 
wed Prince Moulay Ismail at his wedding ceremony 
seated in front of a Moroccan flag with a star 
resembling the Star of David.  The newspaper was 
allowed to resume publishing two days later, but 
faces additional civil legal action and a defamation 
lawsuit by the prince.  The MOI action unleashed a 
spirited debate on-line and in the written press, 
with some taking the government's side, often 
claiming that the cartoon was anti-Semitic, and 
others viewing this as one of a recent series of 
media-muzzling events (reftel).  This incident is 
part of a worrisome trend of growing official 
antipathy towards the independent press which, if 
intended to promote self-censorship, appears 
consistently to be backfiring.  End summary and 
comment. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Morocco's Very Own Cartoon Controversy 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) The cartoon, published on September 26 by 
independent Arabic-language daily "Akhbar Al Youm," 
depicts Prince Moulay Ismail (a first cousin of King 
Mohammed VI) seated during his wedding ceremony. 
Behind him all is painted red, the background of the 
Moroccan flag.  On the red background, partially 
obscured behind the prince, is a green star, as on 
the Moroccan flag.  Although obscured, the flag is 
unmistakably a six-pointed Star of David, rather 
than the five-pointed star of the Moroccan flag. 
The caption simply identifies the subject and the 
location. 
 
¶4.  (U) Debate about the meaning of the cartoon has 
raged in Morocco, especially in the blogosphere, but 
most observers judge it to be inscrutable.  Prince 
Moulay is not known to be particularly in favor of 
normalization with Israel.  There have not been any 
known controversies connecting him to Israel.  Some 
local bloggers have suggested that the cartoon is an 
oblique reference to the bride's German origins (she 
comes from a German diplomatic family that converted 
to Islam before her birth), and is commenting on the 
complicated Germany-Israel-Arab relationship.  Some 
even see the prince's arm position as raised in a 
Nazi salute. 
 
----------------- 
Authorities React 
----------------- 
 
¶5.  (U) The Saturday/Sunday issue containing the 
cartoon was not pulled from kiosks until Monday, the 
same day the MOI sent officers to close "Akhbar Al 
Youm"'s main office in Casablanca, and detain the 
paper's director, Taoufiq Bouachrine, and cartoonist 
Khaled Kadar, for questioning.  Bouachrine claims he 
was threatened by the secret police.  "Akhbar Al 
Youm" was not allowed to publish again until 
September 30.  In explaining its actions, the MOI in 
a statement called the cartoon "a blatant disrespect 
to a member of the royal family.  In addition to 
tendentiously using the national flag, the cartoon 
undermines a symbol of the Nation by insulting the 
emblem of the Kingdom? the use of the Star of David 
in the cartoon raises many questions on the 
insinuations of the people behind it and suggests 
flagrant anti-Semitic penchants." 
 
¶6.  (U) Minister of Communications Khalid Naciri, 
the government spokesperson who was also front-and- 
center during the August controversy about polling 
the popularity of the King, gave a press conference 
 
on October 1 defending the government's actions. 
"It is the duty of the government to implement the 
law to put an end to actions that breach the laws in 
force."  Naciri again referenced Morocco's superior 
press freedom compared to other Arab and African 
countries, but pointed out that journalists had to 
operate within a "professional framework" that 
engendered "responsible media" instead of just 
"slander." 
 
------------------- 
No Offense Intended 
------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Bouachrine told PAS that "it was a strange 
decision by the MoI and a big surprise; the decision 
is illegal."  He added that only the Prime 
Minister's office had the legal authority to suspend 
publication of a newspaper.  Bouachrine insisted 
that the cartoonist meant to draw a five-pointed 
star, but made a mistake.  (Comment: Anyone seeing 
the cartoon in question finds this entirely 
implausible.  End comment.)  Bouchrine has blanketed 
the local press with interviews, pressing his case 
that the MoI acted inappropriately and illegally, 
and that the newspaper had meant no offense, 
intending simply to mark the prince's wedding with a 
cartoon depicting him in celebration. 
 
--------------------------------- 
Mixed Reactions in Moroccan Press 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (U) Most partisan newspapers supported the 
government's position, and were harshly critical of 
"Akhbar Al Youm."  "L'Opinion," an organ of 
nationalist Istiqlal party, called "Akhbar Al Youm" 
"dangerous and irresponsible."  Istiqlal's Arabic 
daily, "Al Alam," said that "Akhbar Al Youm" had 
humiliated the national flag.  A newspaper 
affiliated with socialist USFP also backed the 
government.  Several commentaries in the partisan 
press cited the perceived anti-Semitism of the 
cartoon in support of their position. 
 
¶9.  (U) For their part, independent news outlets 
have largely sided with "Akhbar Al Youm," seeing its 
travails as emblematic of a series of actions 
stretching back through 2009 that trace an 
increasingly worrying trend of press freedom 
impingement.  "Nichane," recently caught in its own 
confrontation with the government (see reftel), was 
most scathing: "Violations against press freedoms 
have continued with a rocketing pace, an 
unprecedented pace? we have never seen anything like 
this in Morocco? in the event that the situation 
continues to deteriorate at such a rapid pace, we 
are heading with firm steps towards 'dictatorship.'" 
 
¶10.  (U) The main journalists' union (SNPM) and the 
Committee to Protect Journalists came out strongly 
in favor of the paper.  SNPM called the GOM actions 
"an illegal step and a flagrant violation of the 
law."  CPJ's New York office issued a statement 
condemning the government's move and pointed out 
that Moroccan Press Law only allows the ministry to 
ban a single issue of a periodical deemed 
disrespectful to the royal family.  The two 
organizations representing Moroccan publishers have 
not weighed in formally, although the head of the 
main publishers' association (FMEJ) wrote an 
editorial supporting "Akhbar Al Youm" in the 
newspaper he runs, "Aujourd'hui le Maroc." 
 
¶11.  (U) Interestingly, an on-line poll being 
conducted by the popular Moroccan news portal 
Hespress.com finds Moroccan public opinion roughly 
evenly split.  Hespress.com asked its readers to 
respond to the question: "Do you support suing 
Akhbar Al Youm?"  As of October 5, the results were 
50% against, and 45% in favor. 
 
¶12.  (U) Government accusations of anti-Semitism 
were echoed by the Council of Morocco's Jewish 
Communities (CCIM), which formally expressed its 
outrage at the cartoon and highlighted the norms of 
tolerance in Morocco.  Independent daily "Al Jarida 
Al Oula" disagreed, expressing in a front-page 
 
editorial "deep surprise" at the accusations and in 
turn accusing the Jewish community of focusing on 
the cartoon instead of recent violent events in 
Jerusalem and the Al Aqsa mosque dispute. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶13. (SBU) While this incident will most likely pass 
with little or no legal action taken against "Akhbar 
Al Youm," it serves to reinforce what is an 
increasingly worrisome trend of growing official 
antipathy towards the independent press.  Each of 
these incidents also further reinforces the futility 
of GOM efforts to modulate freedom of expression. 
This poorly drawn and frankly uninteresting cartoon, 
initially seen by perhaps a few thousand readers, 
would have quickly been forgotten.  But as a result 
of the GOM reaction, many times the initial number 
saw the cartoon, launching a vigorous debate on-line 
and in the written press about both the meaning of 
the cartoon, and the legitimacy of GOM actions 
against "Akhbar Al Youm." 
 
¶13.  (SBU) Moroccan authorities appear not to 
understand their predicament: the Moroccan press and 
blogosphere are free enough to debate endlessly -- 
and in embarrassing (for the government) detail -- 
each official effort to rein in press freedom.  This 
in turn exposes the GOM to international opprobrium, 
while simultaneously expanding greatly the number of 
Moroccans who learn about the lapse (perceived or 
otherwise) in journalistic ethics the authorities 
sought to suppress.  Meanwhile, the increasing 
number of these incidents suggests that GOM measures 
are decreasingly effective even in promoting self- 
censorship.  As a result, Moroccan authorities end 
up with the worst of all worlds: widely (and 
internationally) publicized criticism for their 
occasional heavy-handed efforts that harms their 
international reputation, but without the means to 
genuinely keep a lid on press coverage or commentary 
not to their liking.  End comment. 
 
Kaplan