Fish vendor's grisly death in garbage compactor troubles Morocco ahead of this week’s climate talks
Some have compared Mouhcine Fikri’s death to the death of Tunisian vendor Mohamed Bouazizi, which sparked the Arab Spring uprisings across North Africa
The anger is palatable in Hoceima, a Moroccan port on the Mediterranean Sea. It has ignited protests across the country and threatens to cloud Morocco’s image as it prepares to host two weeks of high-profile UN climate talks.
Tens of thousands of people marched in a silent candlelight vigil Friday night by the local police station where fish vendor Mouhcine Fikri died in a garbage compactor.
Fikri had been selling 500 kilograms of unauthorised swordfish that police confiscated and discarded. He then climbed into a garbage truck to retrieve the fish, and was crushed when its compactor was activated. Local media have reported that police allegedly told the driver to “grind him” although the prosecutor issued a statement saying “no specific order was given to kill” Fikri.
The rallying cry for the protests has been “hogra”, or the deprivation of dignity, reflecting deep frustration among Moroccans at impunity and corruption among police and officialdom. Some have compared Fikri’s death to the death of Tunisian vendor Mohamed Bouazizi, which sparked the Arab Spring uprisings across North Africa.
Experts say Fikri’s death is unlikely to lead to a revolution in Morocco, but it is putting pressure on Moroccan leadership. The king himself has intervened to ensure a thorough investigation, and the government has been unusually communicative about the case, trying to quell an outpouring of anger on social media.