The Saharawi Social Forum Coordination & the European Coordination of Solidarity with the Western Sahara
To the organising Committee of the 7th World Social Festival
Nairobi, 22.01.07
Dear comrades
On behalf of the Saharawi delegation participating to the 7th World
Social Forum and the European Coordination of Solidarity with the
Western Sahara (Task Force), we would like to protest against
provocative actions from a group of Moroccans, working for the Moroccan
State and whose main goal, apparently is to disturb and try to hinder
the activities the component of the Saharawi civil society actors are
planning to hold. So we would like to ask for your assistance to keep
the order in case they try to disturb the participants, and we would
like to inform you that this Moroccan group assume the entire
responsibility of any provocative action in our workshops.
This morning, a group of Moroccans violated the Saharawi workshop,
provoking a fight with the moderator, Mr. Fernando Peraita, Member of
the Task Force and hindering his attempts to bring order back,
pretending to be members of Moroccan association, while in fact they
have no single workshop or programmed activity. A fact that we consider
as really serious.
The Workshop was attended by many civil society actors from Occidental
and African countries, but the Moroccan provokers succeeded in breaking
the workshop because we refuse to answer their violence of our right
with the same violence and provocation they used against us.
During the March organised in January the 20 in solidarity with Africa,
in which the Saharawi delegation participated, the same group of
Moroccans tried to provoke some members of the Saharawis, and further
asked the animators on the stage not to chant slogans in favour of the
decolonisation of the Western Sahara, which is the last colony in
Africa.
To your information, another Saharawi delegation that participated last
year in Bamako had had serious problems with the same group of
Moroccan, who are accompanied by agents of the Moroccan Embassy there
(and they are accompanied here in Nairobi by agents of the Moroccan
Embassy and a member of the Moroccan intelligence using some Moroccan
Associations as a cover).
The same provocative acts were undertaken by Moroccan persons under the sold of the Moroccan kingdom in WSF Porto Alegre 2005.
According to all these factors, we believe that the same Moroccan group
will try to hinder our second workshop as they did with the first one
in this morning.
Our second workshop will be organised by the Saharawi Social Forum
Coordination on Monday 22 January at 17.00 in Venue B4, and will be
about Saharawi people’s right to self-determination. We would thus
request an official presence of a representative from the Organising
Committee of the WSF, so as to prevent any future violation of our
rights.
Signed by the following components of the civil organisations:
- European Coordination of Solidarity with the Western Sahara
- Association of Saharawi Families of Disappeareds and Prisoners (AFAPREDESA)
- Saharawi Jurists Union (UJS)
- Union of the Workers of the Saguiat El Hamra and Rio de Oro (UGTSARIO)
- Saharawi Women Union (UNMS)
- Union of the Youth of the Saguiat El Hamra and Rio de Oro (UJSARIO)
- Saharawi Journalists and Writers Union (UPES)
- The Saharawi Campaign against the use of Landmine
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