Moroccan students and trade unionists are calling on activists in the trade unions and student unions in Britain and around the world to support their battle to defend the National Union of Moroccan Students from attack by the government. The Moroccan state is trying to take over the union’s headquarters at the same time as cracking down on student struggles across the country.

Student activists have called a protest march on 26 December, marking the 60th anniversary of the union’s foundation.

What you can do:

• Share and sign this petition widely among trade unionists and students: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/solidarity-with-the-moroccan-students-union
• Circulate the appeal for solidarity below to student unions and around your networks
• Rush messages of solidarity to menasolidarity@gmail.com and we will pass them on to activists in Morocco
• Share the poster above online or download a copy to take a solidarity picture [unem_solidarity_a4]

Appeal for international solidarity [also in عربي ; français; espagnol – and Spanish petition here]

National Consultative Meeting in order to stop the confiscation of the Central seat of the National Union of Moroccan Students: Follow-up Committee

Subject: Request for action and solidarity from student unions with the Moroccan student movement’s struggle

The Moroccan student movement in universities and academic institutions (the number of Moroccan students is approximately 800,000, 48% of whom are women) is strongly struggling against the neo-liberal policies, austerity, suppression and tuition fees, which prevent thousands of children of the working class from enrolling in universities.

This happens while the Moroccan state carries on its policy of cracking down on students’ struggle and detaining them (dozens of comrades were jailed). Therefore, students feel unable to hold their trade union, cultural, and creative rallies supervised by the National Moroccan Students Union (a guild of students founded on 26 December 1956). The latter has been suppressed and banned since July 1981.

Furthermore, and as part of its plan to ban and restrict the right to unionize and democracy within Moroccan universities, the Moroccan government is about to confiscate the above-mentioned Union’s central headquarter, and alienate it to the Ministry of Youth and Sport. This triggered an overwhelming sense of outrage among students in many Moroccan universities, who denounced this unfair decision designed to restrict their trade union freedom.

In retaliation against this anti-student policy, and upon celebrating the 60^th anniversary of the above-mentioned Union, a large number of political activists, including the Moroccan student movement and old militants affiliated to the Union, intend to march nationally en masse (on 25 December 2016 in Rabat) to protest against the state’s decision to confiscate the headquarter, defend the right to free, democratic, secularist and appropriate public education, condemn crackdown on trade union freedom at university and demand the release of jailed students.

Hence, we request you to mediate and seek support from brotherly student movements and unions to:

• Denounce the Moroccan government’s attempt to confiscate the above-mentioned headquarter and alienate it to one of its government departments, including filing a lawsuit;
• Back the national march, which will take place on 26 December 2016 on the occasion of the 60^th anniversary of the above-mentioned Union;
• Provide political and intangible support for the Moroccan students’ battle, including sending statements showing evidence of such support for the struggle against policies of austerity, suppression, and neo-liberalism intended to privatise education;
• Demand the Moroccan state, through the Ministry of Interior and its security forces, to raise its control and flagrant interference that prevent students from organising their trade union and political activities, and holding their congress supervised by the above-mentioned Union.

 RABAT ; 30 NOVEMBER 2016