Casablanca union protests dean's denial of Keffiyeh-wearing student's award

On Friday, July 19, 2024, the Casablanca branch of the National Syndicate for Higher Education staged a protest at the Faculty of Sciences Ben M’sik. They condemned the Dean's refusal to award a prize to a High School of Technology student for wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh.

The union called the Dean's action «a dangerous breach of academic ethics and internationally recognized freedoms». They further described it as «reckless, disrespectful, and an insult to the teaching profession».

The statement denounced the Dean's stance as «antithetical to the union's principles and the Faculty's history of struggle». The union expressed «solidarity with student Khadija Ahtour for her principled stand, reflecting the sentiments of the Moroccan people and their opposition to normalization with the Zionist entity».

The union reaffirmed its support for Palestinian independence and condemned «all forms of normalization» with Israel. They urged professors to «remain vigilant and confront any attempts at normalization».