The Moroccan student union, UNEM, has initiated a petition urging the Ministry of Higher Education and Moroccan universities that have established relations with "Israel" to promptly revoke all signed normalization deals. The union also called on the student body to actively participate in the petition.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the union reiterated its and the public's opposition to the Moroccan regime's normalization with the "oppressive Zionist entity." They stressed that university campuses should be places "where students can show their solidarity with the Palestinian cause in all possible ways, particularly given the suffering of the Palestinian people, who face killings, starvation, and genocide by the brutal Zionist army."  

An atrocious act 

UNEM also denounced a recent incident at Ben M'Sik University in Casablanca that has sparked widespread outrage on social media platforms. Mohammed Talbi, the Dean of the Faculty of Sciences at the university, attending as a guest of honor on Saturday, refused to hand an honor student her degree because she wore a Palestinian Koufiyyeh during the university's award ceremony.

A recent incident at Ben M'Sik University in #Casablanca has sparked widespread outrage on social media platforms. Mohammed Talbi, the Dean of the Faculty of Sciences at the university, attending as a guest of honor, refused to hand an honor student her degree because she wore a… pic.twitter.com/Sgvh60jef4

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 15, 2024

The student's refusal to remove the Koufiyyeh, a symbol of solidarity with Palestine, and the ensuing support from attendees highlight the deep-seated support for the Palestinian cause in Morocco, contrary to the official position.

Rachid Sammoud, the Director of the Higher School of Technology of Casablanca, was then asked to hand her the certificate, which he did to applause. Following this event, the local branch of the National Syndicate for Higher Education and Scientific Research at the Higher School of Technology in Casablanca issued a statement condemning the incident, describing it as "dangerous". The statement further read, "The faculty, professors, employees, students, and guests rose against this heinous act, forcing the [pro-"Israel"] dean to leave the hall (in other words: he was expelled so the ceremony could continue)."

The union described the events at the university as "an atrocious act (...) that does not align with the Moroccan people's unwavering support for the Palestinian cause."

They added that this action indicates "the infiltration of normalization policies into Moroccan universities," warning that such behavior is "contrary to the popular and students' will, violating the sanctity of the university and suppressing the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Moroccan constitution."

The union's statement also pointed out that "such irresponsible actions" increasingly expose "the policy of normalization and Zionist infiltration into Moroccan universities," asserting that this "will not deter students from their struggle in support of the Palestinian cause and opposition to the Zionist entity."

In a related context, over 1,000 students at Al Akhawayn University launched a petition condemning the participation of students from their university in a delegation to the occupied Palestinian territories. They stated that "the participation of some of their peers in such an activity contradicts the morals and values upheld by Al Akhawayn University." 

The students who signed the petition accused the student delegation of contributing to "tarnishing the reputation of Al Akhawayn University and all Moroccans." They called on their fellow students to take a clear stance against this visit and urged the university administration to "intervene and take a clear position on the visit and to suspend the students involved."

Read more: War on Gaza dealt blows to Israeli-Moroccan normalization