Revolution of king and people, decisive turning point in struggle for Morocco's liberation
Morocco, History, 8/20/1999

Forty six years ago, the Moroccan people stood up as one man in a unanimous, spontaneous move of patriotism and solidarity to foil the plot hatched against their country by the French colonial authorities which exiled on August 20, 1953 the late King Mohammed V and the royal family to Corsica and few months later to Madagascar.

As relations between the royal palace and the French colonial authorities in Morocco deteriorated due to the king's support to mounting claims for Morocco's independence, the French authorities found no other solution but to deport the symbol of the Moroccan resistance.

It was the straw that broke the camel's back. The whole Moroccan people rose up, throughout the country, to express their attachment to the throne and rejection of colonization.

The uprising swept over the whole of Morocco, resisting to all forms of criminal repression and imprisonment that the colonizers used to quell the popular claim for the independence of Morocco.

In his answer to a French request that asked him to abdicate and live free and respected in France, the late King Mohammed V said: "I am the legitimate sovereign of Morocco, I will never betray the mission that my faithful people entrusted me with. France is strong, let it act as it wishes."

Having thought that exiling the King and his family would be the final blow, the French authorities soon found out that it was a big error. They were forced shortly to open the Aix-Les-Bains negotiations, following which the Moroccan resistance movement issued a manifesto proclaiming that Ben Youssef (the late King Mohammed V) was the only interlocutor they recognized.

Meanwhile, all throughout the world, voices denounced the French maneuvers and the French administration was overwhelmed by petitions calling for the return of the king.

A group of 75 French figures, soon joined by 128 Moroccan personalities, sent to the French authorities a petition setting as a pre-requisite for Moroccan-French dialogue, a clear and unequivocal tackling of the problem posed by the deposing of Mohammed V.

In August 1954, the Ulema (theologians) of Rabat and Fes united to ask, in a petition to the French general resident in Morocco, for the return to the throne of the legitimate sovereign Mohammed V.

In the meantime, Moroccan resisters waged a fierce struggle against the protectorate forces, leading ultimately to the victorious return of the king of Morocco who announced the independence of Morocco and the triumph of the national cause.

Following the proclamation of independence in 1955, the Moroccan king and people indulged in a new struggle for the economic and social development of the country. It is the same struggle that Moroccans carried on under the reign of the late king Hassan II, and that resulted in major gains, Morocco having scored tremendous progress in all fields to become a haven of peace and an invulnerable fortress against the challenges of the third millennium.

The same spirit of patriotism that prompted the revolution of the King and the people is still alive as Morocco is entering a new promising stage under the reign of Mohammed VI, son of the late king Hassan II.

Previous Stories:
  Morocco celebrates independence day   (11/18/1998)
  Spain restores the tombs of its soldiers in Morocco   (1/12/1998)

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