Moroccan law does not explicitly criminalise the desecration of foreign flags. [Getty]
Israel’s former envoy to Rabat, David Govrin, has called on authorities in Morocco to ban the burning of Israeli flags at protests, reigniting debate over the limits of political expression in the North African kingdom.
Govrin, who left his post at Israel‘s liaison office in Rabat following allegations of sexual misconduct, posted a photograph on X last Thursday showing protesters in Marrakech setting an Israeli flag ablaze.
The sit-in was part of a broader demonstration against the expected visit of Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev for an international road safety conference later this month.
“[…] Given the existing relations between Israel and Morocco, it would be appropriate for local authorities to put an end to this phenomenon,” Govrin wrote on 15 February.
His remarks quickly sparked backlash from pro-Palestinian activists, who saw his statement as an attempt to interfere in Morocco’s internal affairs.
“How could this brazen person dare to interfere in our Moroccan affairs with such audacity?” said Hassan Bennajeh, a senior figure in Al-Adl Wal Ihsane, an Islamist movement that has played a central role in organising pro-Palestine demonstrations.
Public displays of opposition to Israel—including flag burnings—have been a regular feature of Moroccan protests, even after Rabat normalised ties with Tel Aviv in 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords. The Israeli genocidal war on Gaza has fuelled even larger and angrier demonstrations.
Moroccan law does not explicitly criminalise the desecration of foreign flags. However, broader laws related to public order or incitement could be invoked against protesters.
For instance, the country’s penal code does, however, impose penalties, including jail time and fines, on individuals who publicly insult foreign heads of state and high-ranking officials.
That provision has come into focus in recent days after Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi suggested that Abdelilah Benkirane, Morocco‘s former prime minister and current leader of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), could face legal consequences for ‘offensive’ comments about US President Donald Trump.
At a recent party gathering, Benkirane had condemned Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, calling it a return to the “law of the jungle.”
He also accused the US President of seeking to dismantle the world’s legal and geopolitical order, referencing Trump’s previous remarks about acquiring territories like Canada and Greenland.
In response to Ouahbi’s warning, the leader of the opposition party shrugged off the possibility of legal action.
“I won’t give much attention to this case”, Benkirane said over the weekend, doubling down on his criticism of Trump and calling for unified position against Washington’s plans to relocate 2 million Palestinians from Gaza to elsewhere —a plan widely decried as ‘ethnic cleansing.’
