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More than twenty organizations and nearly 90 people have addressed a letter to the president of Les Impériales, expressing their protest over the decision to award the «Love Brand» 2025 trophy to Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred. They are urging the organization to rescind the accolade, citing Lamjarred's first-instance conviction for aggravated rape in France, which is currently under appeal.
The letter, seen by Yabiladi, criticizes the Casablanca-based entity for «contributing to the propagation of rape culture, that is, the set of attitudes and behaviors that trivialize, excuse, or justify sexual violence». The signatories express their dismay at the association's response to public outrage on social media, accusing it of deleting comments that express legitimate anger while continuing to highlight favorable posts.
This action, they argue, reinforces a «feeling of impunity and silence around sexual violence». As of now, the association has not issued a public response to the letter on its platforms.
Moreover, the letter demands that the association remove «all publications» promoting the artist and urges them to respect public reactions by refraining from censoring comments that express legitimate indignation. The signatories emphasize that this incident is not isolated, stating, «This is not the first time that this type of promotion has provoked indignation, without any firm institutional reaction being taken».
In February 2023, Saad Lamjarred was sentenced by the Paris Assizes to six years in prison for the aggravated rape of Laura Prioul and was banned from entering France for five years. His entourage has previously announced that his appeal would be heard while he is out on bail.
