Marrakech – A Moroccan citizen was recently deported from Spain after seeking asylum based on claims of persecution for participating in pro-Palestine demonstrations in Morocco.
According to Spanish news outlet El Confidencial Digital, the man arrived in Spain by boat through the Strait of Gibraltar in December 2024 before being sent to an immigration detention center in Murcia.
The Moroccan national filed for international protection to avoid deportation, claiming he faced “life-threatening danger” if returned to Morocco. He stated that Moroccan security forces had identified him due to his “active political involvement” in multiple protests in the city of Kenitra “against Morocco’s economic and military support for Israel in the Palestine conflict.”
In his appeal to Spain’s National Court, the man alleged that Moroccan police had directly threatened him, warning they would “make him disappear” if he continued his activism.
He claimed this constituted a “credible and real threat of forced disappearance, outside of any legal procedure” in Morocco. His family allegedly abandoned him in the wake of these threats, forcing him to flee to Fnideq near Ceuta before eventually crossing into Spanish territory.
The Spanish government rejected his application, determining that participation in several demonstrations did not establish evidence of individualized persecution. Officials noted there was insufficient information about which specific protests he attended, whether he had been detained, or if he faced pending charges in Morocco.
They concluded that his fear of persecution was “unfounded and implausible.” The United Nations refugee agency also found inadequate grounds to support his petition.
Spain’s National Court agreed with this assessment, denying the urgent protective measure and allowing his deportation to proceed.
Read also: Spanish National Court Rules Poverty in Morocco Insufficient for Asylum Qualification
The case comes amid increasing Spanish political pressure on Israel, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government recognizing Palestine as a state 18 months ago and recently implementing an arms embargo against Israel through a royal decree-law.
In fact, support for Palestine is historical and remains a rhetorical constant in Morocco. The Moroccan Committee for the Support of the Ummah’s Causes reported that since October 2023, Moroccans have organized over 10,400 public solidarity campaigns for Gaza, including 9,820 sit-ins and 660 marches nationwide.
Major cities like Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, and Tetouan host weekly protests condemning Israeli genocide in Gaza. Despite renewing ties with Israel in 2020, Morocco has maintained its stance on Palestinian rights while King Mohammed VI serves as chairman of the Al Quds Committee.
It has emerged as one of the very few Arab countries to deliver humanitarian aid directly to Gaza while also allowing its citizens to stage public demonstrations of solidarity.
Morocco is striking a careful balance between its historic support for Palestine and its pragmatic, strategically based engagement with the Hebrew state, all while continuing to advocate for a two-state solution.