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In Bejaia, a Mediterranean port city on the Gulf of Béjaïa in Algeria, hundreds of Algerians took to the streets, Friday, March the 1st, to protest against Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s bid for a fifth term in the April 18 presidential vote.
Some angry protesters carried a coffin that had the photo of the current Algerian President and was wrapped in a Moroccan flag, in reference to the fact that Bouteflika was born in Oujda, Morocco.
A video that showed the coffin and the Moroccan flag went viral on social media, angering some Moroccan internet users. «I do not see the point of putting a Moroccan flag on the coffin. You are weird, whenever Algerians have a problem, they always put the blame on others. If it is not France it is Morocco», an internet user wrote.
À Bejaia le “cercueil” de Bouteflika est enveloppé d’un drapeau marocain. Bcp de monde. #NON_AU_5EME_MANDAT #Algerie pic.twitter.com/6LwYhJuYzd
— Sabri B (@sabribac) 1 mars 2019
During a series of manifestations that took place in Algeria last week, protesters chanted slogans referring to the President’s place of birth : «Bouteflika ya el Marroki makache ohda 5» (Bouteflika the Moroccan, there will be no 5th term).
Several videos were shared on social media, showing Algerian protesters chanting against 81-year-old President, referring to his «Moroccan origins».
For the record, Abdelaziz Bouteflika was born on the 2nd of March 1937 in Oujda, Morocco. He lived with his parents and siblings for years, in the city, before joining the Algerian Liberation Army. Bouteflika’s continued his studies in Oujda until high school, as other Algerians who found refuge in Morocco because of the French colonization.
