Moroccans react to gruesome death of 'famed' fish seller

The horrific death of a fish seller Mouhcine Fikri, crushed by a garbage truck, continues to make waves in the Moroccan political class.

Many have reacted to the incident denouncing the dysfunctions in administration and fuelling the controversy and policies, openly criticising the attitude of the authorities of the kingdom. In the face of this tragedy, a member of the Democratic Federation left wing Omar Balafrej, condemns the actions posed by the Moroccan authorities.

“The Moroccan State has responded, yes, there is an investigation which is in process of being made. In my view, this is not sufficient. It is not only when there is tragedies that we must react. I hope that this will create a click, but there will be a large debate, what is called a large debate on the social contract of Moroccan becoming a democratic State, that guarantee in medium term to have a state where all Moroccan citizens are treated fairly’ “he said.

The incident happened on Friday night in the city of Al Hoceima. Localized protests has spread to Marrakech and other parts of Morocco. On Sunday, two government ministers visited Fikri’s grieving family and conveyed the condolences of King Mohammed.

Later that day, Fikri’s funeral was held, with hundreds of people walking behind his coffin as it made its way to the burial site.

The young Fikri was crushed to death by the truck’s dustbin compressor while trying to retrieve his merchandise that had been confiscated by the police.

The actions of the police, in this case, have been heavily criticized by the protesters, who say that heavy handed treatment form law enforcement officers is an ongoing problem for many Moroccan citizens.