Morocco: union insists journalists have no ‘smear campaign’ against Tunisians

The journalists’ union in Morocco has rejected claims by its Tunisian counterpart that its members are running a “smear campaign” against the people of Tunisia. The claim was made after the participation of the Polisario Front leader in the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD8) held in Tunis on 27 and 28 August.

“Mass media have the full right to criticise the actions of the Tunisian president, reply to his speeches and analyse their contexts because this is the core of freedom of the press, but this should not be called a campaign against Tunisians,” said the National Syndicate of Moroccan Press (SNPM). “On the contrary, the official stance of Morocco and the different statements and remarks made by various political and civil bodies, as well as the media, make clear the difference between the Tunisian president and the Tunisian people.”

The Moroccan union expressed its shock that the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) linked what was said about Tunisia’s President Kais Saied with the “vital and sovereign interests of the country.”

The SNPM blamed Saied for harming Tunisia’s interests, citing remarks made and stances adopted by national figures and bodies in the country. “If the SNJT wanted to defend Saied’s actions against Morocco, it is unacceptable to claim that questioning his work is abuse of the Tunisian people.”

READ: National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists condemns Moroccan media for ‘organised smear campaign’