EFE alters caption on Green March photo after pressure from Polisario supporters in Spain

The caption on a photo accompanying a news article from the Spanish state-owned news agency EFE about the royal speech on November 6 put Polisario supporters in Spain on high alert on Thursday.

«EFE considers that the Green March liberated the ‘Moroccan Sahara’ from ‘Spanish colonialism'», reported an Iberian media outlet. After some hesitation, EFE eventually yielded to the pressure, altering the caption—a change welcomed by the same media outlet in a follow-up article.

The updated caption now reads: «The Green March dates back to 1975, when Morocco organized massive demonstrations to demand that Spain cede the then semi-autonomous province of Spanish Sahara», according to the Spanish source regarding King Mohammed VI's Green March commemoration speech.

Since Pedro Sanchez’s endorsement of Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara on March 18, 2022, Polisario-affiliated circles have responded to any attempts by public media to reinforce Rabat's stance. In October 2023, they voiced their objections in the Lower House after Spanish public broadcaster TVE displayed a full map of Morocco, including the Sahara.