The Popular Movement (MP) party in Morocco has strongly condemned the tearing of the Moroccan national flag by Spanish demonstrators, saying the act cannot be treated as a mere passing incident given what the flag represents in terms of state sovereignty, national dignity, and collective memory.
The flag was shredded by far-right protesters in front of the Congress of Deputies in Madrid, reported several Moroccan media outlets, on the sidelines of mass protests against the government of Pedro Sánchez's management of the migration crisis in Ceuta. The demonstrators are said to have shouted slogans hostile to Morocco and Moroccans while ripping the flag.
In a statement, the Political Bureau of MP stated that such practices, regardless of their sources and motivations, are "blatant and unacceptable and inconsistent with the nature of the relations between Morocco and Spain".
The party added that this incident would not in any way change the Kingdom's commitment to the development of friendship, cooperation and good-neighborly relations with Madrid based on dialogue, understanding and mutual respect.
The general secretariat of the party, headed by Mohamed Ouazine, emphasized that the management of Morocco's foreign policy is entirely in the domain of its sovereign prerogatives, and that the nature of its partnerships, as well as the decisions it makes to safeguard its strategic interests, cannot be a subject for reactive logic or placed under the control of the provocative behavior of any political or other actor.
MP stated that part of the tension radiating from Spanish circles is rooted in what it described as a mentality belonging to a phase now overtaken by time. The party said that "invoking backward-looking approaches in dealing with Morocco serves neither Spain's nor Morocco's interests and it doesn't tally with the transformations the relationship between the two countries has undergone in recent years."
It urged the Spanish political actors to behave responsibly in the management of issues related to the bilateral relationship, to understand the particular nature of the Moroccan-Spanish relationship and to base their behaviour on dialogue rather than provocation.
The party also warned against any temptation to revive a discourse of confrontation or old sensitivities not serving the future of either of the two countries.
