Moroccan group prepares possible protests in Nador over planned Spanish royal visit to Ceuta, Melilla

A Moroccan civil society group campaigning for the country’s territorial claims over Ceuta and Melilla says it is preparing for possible street demonstrations in Nador over what it describes as attempts by Spanish political groups to strain relations between Morocco and Spain.

The National Coordination for the Defense of Moroccan National Issues said in a statement issued in Nador that it had been monitoring political developments in Spain and the fallout from the mass crossings into Ceuta in late July.

The group, headed by Yahya Yahya, said it had initially decided against organizing street action before Morocco’s legislative elections and would postpone any mobilization until after the vote.

The planned visit by Spain’s King Felipe VI to Ceuta and Melilla has prompted the group to reconsider that position.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced in early September that Felipe VI would visit the two autonomous cities in the coming weeks. The Spanish Royal Household has said the king will be accompanied by Queen Letizia, but no date has yet been set. The visit would be Felipe VI’s first official trip to the two cities since becoming king in 2014.

The announcement has already prompted reactions from Moroccan activists. Yahya previously said a royal visit could reopen tensions between the two countries, citing the November 2007 visit by former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia, which triggered a diplomatic dispute with Morocco.

The coordination said it had tasked Yahya and member Rachid Ahsain with conducting an inspection visit to several locations around Melilla and the Beni Ensar border crossing, as well as the area surrounding the Spanish Consulate General in Nador and the Barrio Chino and Farhana crossings.

The group said the visits were intended to prepare for possible broader, peaceful demonstrations.

It said the planned mobilization was aimed at expressing opposition to what it described as repeated attempts to “blackmail” Morocco, insult Moroccans and provoke public sentiment. The coordination said its activities were part of what it considers the role of civil society in defending Morocco’s national interests.

In remarks delivered in Spanish outside the Spanish Consulate General in Nador, Yahya said that carrying out the planned royal visit would have negative consequences for which Madrid should assume responsibility.

He also said Moroccans were prepared to make sacrifices in defense of what he described as the country’s territorial unity.

The planned royal visit comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions following the mass entry of migrants into Ceuta at the end of July. Spanish authorities have described the episode as a major border and migration crisis, while Morocco has rejected accusations that its authorities were responsible for the crossings.

Spanish authorities have said the royal visit is intended to demonstrate state support for Ceuta and Melilla. Sánchez has described the trip as a way for the head of state to show the “absolute commitment” of the Spanish state to the two autonomous cities.

The Moroccan group’s proposed mobilization remains contingent on the timing and circumstances of the royal visit, which has not yet been assigned an official date.

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