The following message was published by the softly oppositional news site Le Desk on 18 March.
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Nasser al-Zafzafi, leader of the Movement of the Rif, currently serving a twenty-year sentence in the Ras al-Maa prison, Fez, has called on citizens to remain in their homes.
Zafzafi said, in a message relayed by his father through his Facebook page:
“In the belief that the national- prevails over personal interest [1], I call on all citizens to remain in their homes, in order to protect their health in this critical situation, one that the country and the entire world – from the top to the bottom of society – are experiencing, due to the spread of the merciless Coronavirus. I therefore appeal to all citizens – those not deprived of their freedom, and with control over their actions [قراراتهم] – to comply with experts’ recommendations, such as those of epidemiologists.”
Zafzafi continued, “I know that you will always consider the nation’s interest. I ask that you follow this appeal and, finally, that you accept my highest expressions of loyalty to you.”
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[1] There is perhaps an irony in Zafzafi – the leader of a movement with at least seperationist tendencies – making such a call. Indeed, one of Zafzafi’s numerous convictions was for ‘threatening national unity’.
