Yasmine Lmghor, a Member of Parliament for the National Rally of Independents (RNI), condemned what she deemed a “violent and systematic campaign” against Moroccan artist Ben Aissa El Jerari following his announcement of joining a political party. She described the attacks as “the peak of degradation and depravity” in how some people deal with freedom of opinion and political affiliation.
In a post on her official social media accounts, Lmghor expressed her outrage at what she called the “cheap, slanderous, and defamatory language” directed at El Jerari solely because he chose to express his convictions and engage in political work as an active citizen. The MP stated, “The height of degradation and depravity is for political differences to turn into violent attacks on individuals, as recently happened with the great Moroccan artist Ben Aissa El Jerari, who committed no crime other than expressing his convictions.” She added that free Moroccans cannot be drawn into “these sick methods that reveal a fragility of character and narrowness of vision,” emphasizing that attacking someone for their political choices reflects, in her words, “a failure to build an argument and an inability to persuade.”
Lmghor believes that the involvement of artists, intellectuals, and citizens in political life should be viewed positively as a contribution to public affairs and national service, not as grounds for aggression or exclusion. She concluded her post with a scathing criticism of those she described as “attackers of others from behind screens” and “specialists in spreading hatred through social media platforms,” using the description “rabble of germs and cowards” to refer to online behaviors she considered irresponsible.
Artist Ben Aissa El Jerari had expressed his happiness at joining the National Rally of Independents (RNI), praising the role of party leader Aziz Akhannouch in recruiting him and in establishing the party’s national federation of artists. During the fifth communication tour of the “achievements path” in Marrakech, El Jerari discussed his experience in politics, adding that the state’s support for artists was lacking after the COVID-19 pandemic, which led him to engage in politics with the RNI.
