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The Tangier Speech (, ) was a momentous speech appealing for the independence and territorial unity of Morocco, delivered by Sultan Muhammad V of 
Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
on April 9, 1947, at the Mendoubia
The Mendoubia or Mandubiyya (, ) refers to the former ceremonial mansion of the Mendoub, the representative of the List of rulers of Morocco, Sultan of Morocco in the Tangier International Zone from 1924 to 1956 (with interruption during World W ...
in what was then the Tangier International Zone
The Tangier International Zone (; ; ) was a international zone centered on the city of Tangier, Morocco, which existed from 1925 until its reintegration into independent Morocco in 1956, with interruption during the Spanish occupation of Tang ...
, complemented by a second speech the next day at the Grand Mosque of Tangier
The Grand Mosque of Tangier () is the historic main mosque (Friday mosque) of Tangier, Morocco, located in the city's old Medina quarter, medina. While the design of the current mosque dates from the early 19th century during the Alaouite dynasty ...
. At the time, Morocco was under French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
and Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
colonial rule, with Tangier designated as an international zone
An international zone is any area not fully subject to the border control policies of the state in which it is located. There are several types of international zones ranging from special economic zones and sterile zones at ports of entry ex ...
.
Background
TheIstiqlal Party
The Istiqlal Party (; ; ) is a political party in Morocco. It is a conservative and monarchist party and a member of the Centrist Democrat International and International Democracy Union. Istiqlal headed a coalition government under Abbas El Fa ...
presented the Proclamation of the Independence of Morocco January 11, 1944. In the document, the nationalist party allied itself with the symbolic figure of Sultan Muhammad V. The proclamation was met with hostility from the French colonial authorities. Ahmed Balafrej
Ahmed Balafrej (; September 5, 1908 – April 14, 1990) was the second Prime Minister of Morocco between May 12, 1958, and December 2, 1958. He was a significant figure in the struggle for the independence of Morocco.
Biography
Ahmed Balafre ...
, Lyazidi, and 18 others were arrested, and a wave of protests took place in cities throughout the country.
Casablanca Tirailleurs Massacre
In the days leading up to the sultan's speech, French colonial forces inCasablanca
Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...
, specifically Senegalese Tirailleurs
The Senegalese Tirailleurs () were a corps of Troupes coloniales, colonial infantry in the French Army. They were initially recruited from Saint-Louis, Senegal, the initial colonial capital city of French West Africa and subsequently throughout W ...
serving the French colonial empire
The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas Colony, colonies, protectorates, and League of Nations mandate, mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward. A distinction is generally made between the "Firs ...
, carried out a massacre of working-class Moroccans. The massacre lasted for about 24 hours from April 7–8, 1947, as the tirailleurs fired randomly into residential buildings in working-class neighborhoods, resulting in 180 Moroccan civilian casualties. The massacre was instigated in attempt to sabotage the Sultan's journey to Tangier. The Sultan returned to Casablanca to comfort the families of the victims, then proceeded to Tangier to deliver the historic speech.
Speech and consequences
The Sultan, in his speech, addressed Morocco's future and its territorial integrity without once mentioning France directly. He emphasized his role as Sovereign, his place under Allah, Morocco's ties to the Arab world, and his responsibilities to his people. The Sultan went on to describe how he envisioned the country to operate, with exhortations to the faithful. According to Mohammed Lahbabi of the USFP,Mehdi Ben Barka
Mehdi Ben Barka (; 1920 – disappeared 29 October 1965) was a Moroccan nationalist, Arab socialist, politician, revolutionary, anti-imperialist, head of the left-wing National Union of Popular Forces (UNFP) and secretary of the Tricontinenta ...
prepared the sultan's speech. Eirik Labonne, the French ''resident général'' in Morocco at the time, had included a statement at the end of the speech for the Sultan to read, which encouraged the Moroccans to work with the French, but the Sultan refused to read it.
Labonne, a career diplomat, was called back and replaced with General Alphonse Juin
Alphonse Pierre Juin (16 December 1888 – 27 January 1967) was a senior French Army general who became Marshal of France. A graduate of the École Spéciale Militaire class of 1912, he served in Morocco in 1914 in command of native troops. Upon ...
, a military man, to reinforce French authority at the center of the '' protectorat'' regime.
Jewish question
The leadership of the Jewish community of Tangier avowed its allegiance to Muhammad V during a ceremonial tea visit while he was in the city, but the content of the speech, with its open affiliation with pan-Arabism and its emphasis on Morocco's Muslim character, reinforced ambiguities about the status and identity of the kingdom's Jewish subjects.{{Citation , last=Wyrtzen , first=Jonathan , title=Negotiating Morocco’s Jewish Question , date=2015-12-18 , work=Making Morocco , pages=179–218 , url=https://academic.oup.com/cornell-scholarship-online/book/18953/chapter-abstract/177309234?redirectedFrom=fulltext , access-date=2024-09-13 , publisher=Cornell University Press , doi=10.7591/cornell/9781501700231.003.0007, url-access=subscriptionSee also
*Mohammed V Mosque, Tangier
The Mohammed V Mosque () is a large mosque in Tangier, Morocco, completed in 1983.
It was erected on the initiative of then Crown Prince Mohammed of Morocco, now King Mohammed VI of Morocco, Mohammed VI, and named after his grandfather Mohammed ...
References