Western Sahara - Sahara Occidental -

OCCUPIED TERRITORY / REPRESSION:
STUDENT PROTESTS OVERWHELM EL-AAIUN AND THE FORCES OF OCCUPATION INTENSIFY THE REPRESSION

Translation of the release of the Sahara Presse Service, Press Bureau of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic

CHAHID EL-HAFED, 06/03/2000 (SPS) - EL- AAIUN, THE OCCUPIED CAPITAL OF SADR [SAHARAWI ARAB DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC] HAS ON SATURDAY BEEN THE SCENE OF DEMONSTRATIONS BY SAHARAWI HIGH SCHOOL PUPILS AND STUDENTS AS A SIGN OF SOLIDARITY WITH THEIR COMPATRIOTS IN SMARA AND IN THE MOROCCAN UNIVERSITIES Of AGADIR, RABAT AND MARAKECH, ACCORDING TO SEVERAL SOURCES. THE DEMONSTRATION, WHICH STARTED AT16 H GMT, PASSED THROUGH THE PRINCIPAL ARTERIES OF THE CAPITAL BEFORE BEING DISPERSED BY THE MOROCCAN SECURITY FORCES WHICH THEREAFTER TOOK AWAY SEVERAL PERSONS.

EYEWITNESSES CONFIRM HAVING SEEN CARS ON FIRE IN FRONT OF ONE OF THE CITY'S HOTELS AND OTHERS IN THE FLEA MARKET AREA AS WELL AS DEMONSTRATORS CARRYING THE SAHARAWI NATIONAL FLAG AND CHANTING SLOGANS AGAINST THE OCCUPATION OF THEIR COUNTRY. MILITARY VEHICLES HAVE ALSO BEEN SEEN PATROLLING THE STREETS OF THE CITY TELLING THE INHABITANTS TO TURN OFF THEIR LIGHTS AND ENFORCING A CURFEW. THE SAME SOURCES HAVE INDICATED THAT LEAFLETS HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED IN SEVERAL DISTRICTS OF THE CITY AND THAT THE INHABITANTS WENT ON ALL NIGHT BETWEEN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY THROWING ROCKS AT THE MOROCCAN POLICE FORCES. THE AUTHORITIES OF OCCUPATION HAVE REINFORCED THEIR SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS IN THE CITY AND ITS SURROUNDINGS AND HAVE DEPLOYED VARIOUS POLICE FORCES IN ORDER TO SHUT OFF THE WHOLE CITY.

THE PROTESTS OF THE SAHARAWI POPULATION IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES AND INSIDE MOROCCO ITSELF ARE A REACTION TO THE PRACTICES OF EXCLUSION, DEPRECIATION AND REPRESSION WHICH CARACTERISE THE MOROCCAN COLONIAL POLICY IN THE WESTERN SAHARA . LAST FEBRUARY 6 SAHARAWI STUDENTS IN MARAKECH ORGANISED A DEMONSTRATION IN UNIVERSITY CAMPUS NUMBER ONE TO EXPRESS THEIR SOLIDARITY WITH THEIR OPPRESSED PEOPLE IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES. ON FEBRUARY 26 THE STUDENTS OF RABAT AND ON FEBRUARY 29 THE STUDENTS OF AGADIR AND THE HIGH- SCHOOL STUDENTS OF SMARA JOINED THE REBELLION. THIS BROAD MOVEMENT OF SAHARAWI STUDENTS' DISOBEDIENCE IS A PROTEST AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY, THE DEPORTATIONS AND THE KIDNAPPINGS WHICH THEIR COMPATRIOTS HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO SINCE THE OCCUPATION OF THEIR TERRITORY IN 1975 BY MOROCCO. THE PERMANENT OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL SECRETARIAT OF FRONT POLISARIO ON SUNDAY APPEALED TO THE UNITED NATIONS AND ITS MISSION IN THE WESTERN SAHARA (MINURSO) TO "DEFEND THE RIGHTS OF THE SAHARAWI CITIZENS "VIS-A-VIS" THE BRUTALITY OF THE MOROCCAN FORCES OF OCCUPATION". (SPS) 010/090/000 051742 MAR 2000

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