Next Tuesday will mark the sad anniversary marking 20 years since the May 16 attacks in Casablanca, the day Morocco discovered the horror of terrorism. On this occasion the Moroccan Association of Victims of Terrorism (AMVT) is organizing a commemorative gathering.
Organized next Tuesday on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the May 16 attacks, the rally will take place in front of the commemorative stele, on Place Mohammed V in Casablanca, at 6:30 p.m.
“20 years ago Casablanca – and all of Morocco – woke up in mourning, pain and horror. A series of 5 suicide attacks left 33 dead and around 100 injured. The terrorists, very young Moroccans – between 20 and 25 years old – indoctrinated, recruited, had targeted the Casa de España, the Farah hotel, the Jewish cemetery, the Cercle de l’Alliance, the Belgian Consulate…”, indicated a press release from the association.
The association chaired by Soad El Khammal who lost her husband and her son during these attacks, announced that several personalities will come to attend this commemoration including artists, sportsmen, associative and cultural actors, and representatives of the three monotheistic religions.
The gathering will have a goal of memory, rejection of hatred and awareness of new generations. After 20 years of these terrible events “the duty of remembrance commands us to be at the side of the families of the victims. Let us be present to express our solidarity, our support and our compassion to them”, indicates the association.
The NGO recalls that a week after the attacks, “a huge march against terrorism – one million strong – swept through Casablanca under the slogan Matqish Bladi (don’t touch my country).
On April 24, 2004, King Mohammed VI and the President of the Spanish government José Luis Zapatero inaugurated a monument in memory of the victims, on Place Mohammed V in Casablanca.