Public Relations Black Eye
- NEWS
- 11/14/08
Kerry Kennedy, the daughter of the late Robert Kennedy and the founder of the RFK center for Justice & Human Rights introduced Aminatou Haidar and presented her with the Award. Ms Kerry Kennedy was very biased in her description of the situation in Morocco's Southern provinces and presented an Anti-morocco narrative to the audience. She described morocco as if it was the apartheid regime in South Africa or the Pol Pot Regime in Cambodia. Her introduction was very biased against Morocco and she promised to help Aminatou Haidar in the future to reach her objective.
This was followed by Senator Patrick Leah, Democrat of Vermont who declared "It is important to recognize and commend the Government of Morocco for its recent efforts to protect human rights. Morocco has become a party to most of the major human rights treaties. It is also a valued friend and ally of the United States. It is now time for Morocco to fulfill its treaty obligations to uphold the civil and political rights of the Sahrawi people"
In her speech, Aminatou Haidar used her unfortunate experience as a selling point to advance Polisario's political aim of full independence and she thanked Algerian President Boutefliqa "for all the help to the Sahrawi People" in a declaration to the large contingent of Algerian Media following her award. Morocco's official media, beside a lone MAP reporter, was not present.
There were very few independent Moroccan Activists in the premises who distributed literature to explain the Moroccan position and try to contact some key people. But Mouloud Said, the Polisario representative in Washington, D.C. was acting as a head of ceremonies and also as a gate keeper, he was stopping the Moroccan activists from approaching the RFK widow, Ethel Kennedy. He was also directing the US senate Capitol Police to keep away all those that he thinks are pro-Morocco From talking to any dignitaries. The Head of the polisario in washington telling the US Capitol police what to do!
the Polisario Representative, Mouloud Said, feeling empowered, called one Pro- Moroccan Activist a "barking Dog" which precipitated a short give and take between the two camps.
This performance showcased, in no uncertain terms, the extent of the Polisario's influence in congress. It was able to weave relationships with low, mid & high level congress staffers and develop that relationship and exploit it to advance its cause. They often find a receptive ear for to their " underdog & repressed people" narrative.
The only organized Moroccan action was represented in a small group of Sahrawi women -probably brought at a great expense from El ayoun, Morocco- standing under the rain at some distance from the building carrying few banners. they were so far away from the action that the few pedestrians walking by were puzzled by their presence.
Investing some effort and energy to bring about a hundred people with a pro Moroccan message would have brought an alternative message to the one presented by polisario in the US senate that day.
On another front, and according to sources in Human rights ONGs, that Algeria has promised over two million dollars to the RFK Center for justice and Human Rights for a series of upcoming events relating to Western Sahara. If this were to be confirmed, it would cast serious doubt on the RKF center credibility.
MoroccoBoard News Service
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Contact Senator Leahy
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Saranah Holmes, Development Officer
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial
1367 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Suite 200
Washington D.C. 20036
Tel: 202.463.7575 ext 227 Fax: 202.463.6606
email: \n holmes@rfkmemorial.org
Simone Greggs, Director, Special Programs and Events
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial
1367 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Suite 200
Washington D.C. 20036
Tel: 202.463.7575 ext 234 Fax: 202.463.6606
email: \n greggs@rfkmemorial.org
Jeffrey Buchanan, Communications Officer
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial
1367 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Suite 200
Washington D.C. 20036
Tel: 202.463.7575 ext 241 Fax: 202.463.6606
email: \n buchanan@rfkmemorial.org
Kerry Kennedy & RFK ,Ethel Kennedy , Aminatou Haidar,
Kerry Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, the RFK center for Justice & Human Rights , biased , Morocco , Southern provinces , Anti-morocco ,audience, She described Moroccan , apartheid , South Africa , Pol Pot, Regime , Cambodia , Senator Patrick Leah, Democrat, Vermont , treaty , obligations , civil and political rights , Sahrawi people,
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Comments (38)
You are a true Moroccans and you make me feel proud. You relentless defense for the Moroccan Sahara has no equal.
"Investing some effort and energy to bring about a hundred people with a pro Moroccan message would have brought an alternative message to the one presented by polisario in the US senate that day."
In Morocco we do not invest, we wait for freebies and we wait for good things to happen without any effort.
We can get millions of people in the street when M6 drives by, but we cannot invest in 100 people to defend the cause. I am sure that M6 himself is disgusted with all this money wasted for no useful purpose.
As for the Moroccan press, I chose not to blame them, they are stuggling to stay alive. This is national cause and should have been financed by the government.
I am telling you folks, we reached the peak of incompetence and we deserve the the Kenndy award for it.
Good Day!
Standing there alone in the middle of many attacking you. Like a true hero, you represented the opinions of many Moroccans. You should be commended for standing up to the low class Polisario leader who called you the Moroccan Dog!
Thank you for what you did.
Driss R. Temsamani
Aminatou Hidar who received the RFK HR Awards uses her unfortunate experience to empower the polisario, a socialist leaning organization, until recently allied with Fidel Castro, financed by Algeria\'s military regime and has held thousands of sahrawi in the camps in Tindouf, Algeria while its Washington representative, mouloud said, is living the good life in a multi-million dollar house in McLean, VA
Please keep in mind that morocco has put forward a fair and sensible autonomy plan and the Polisario has dismissed it outright, that many world powers view this plan as the basis to negotiate a political settlement.
It is about time for all well meaning human right defenders to realize that this is not the time to have yet another mini-state in Africa, there are already so many failed nations in this continent and so many civil wars and much economic dislocations.
Morocco is a stable country on the southern gate of Europe, it is on a gradual path to democratization and it is a staunch defender against extremism and it is one of the oldest ally of the US.
I hope that Senator Leahy would consider meeting with the Moroccan American Community to hear the other side of this issue.
The women in the video are pathetic, almost endearing, fighting a war that has ended a long time ago, they're being manipulated by a hand that cares nothing for them and see them as a means to an end.
The sa7ra IS Moroccan and when you go there, which I would encourage people to do to see for themselves, it's pretty obvious.
Cette contradiction n'a pas l'air de les gener. Ils bavassent la bouche pleine contre le pays qui les nourrit. Etre opposant est un job en or au Maroc quand on est saharoui. C'est la prime aux traitres.
Ils jouent avec nos nerfs. Il faut reagir exactement comme le fait le type pro marocain sur la video: les submerger d'amour. L'amour et le sourire etouffent la haine. Et stoppent net la colère.
Je remarque que le representant du Polisario fuyait le debat et filait en tournant le dos comme le font les laches.
Et puis on va attendre la reconaissance de notre souveraineté jusqu'à quand? Personne ne nous fera quitter le Sahara. Arretons de reclamer l'approbation de nations qui se moquent comme d'une guigne de ce pb lointain.
Agissons au sahara comme nous avons toujours agis chez nous.
Etendons le Mur de detection sur l'exact tracé des frontières internationales qui delimitent notre Sahara.
Ils ne comprennent à Alger que le langage de la fermeté.
Qu'elle parle à ceux qui ont fui le Polisario.
Qu'elle nous dise ce qu'elle pense d'une RASD à Parti Unique et au Pdt à Vie.
De ces 4000 mauritaniens enrolés comme saharouis à Tindoufs et torturés qui reclament justice ( Voir reportage Euronews).
Qu'elle nous dise aussi pourquoi elle veut un peuple saharoui independant au Maroc et pas en Algerie. Que faire des Reguibat algeriens de la region de Tindouf qui verront leurs freres independants?
Qu'elle nous dise aussi comment eteindre la guerre civile qui va eclater quand on appliquera le plan tres naïf qui voudrait le Polisario parti totalitaire gouverner au Sahara les saharouis qui se sont toujours sentis marocains.
Qu'elle nous explique aussi comment on va faire avaler à l'armee marocaine de quitter le Sahara alors qu'elle s'est battue longuement et durement pour pacifier le Sahara.
Qu'elle nous explique aussi comment elle compte livrer un territoire securisé aux mains d'une RASD clochardisée alors que Al Qaeda au MAghreb agit comme elle le veut au Sahara algerien et MAuritanien au nez et à la barbe à mon avis consentente de cette armee algerienne plaie de la region.
Qu'elle nous explique comment gerer un Maroc devenu instable à cause de qu'aucun marocain ne restera inerte face à l'abandon du Sahara. Un Maroc à 12 km de l'Europe jusqu'à present pole de stabilité face à une Algerie mise à feu et à sang par un Pouvoir Voyou.
Bref, qu'on lui montre la realité en face loin des dessins animés Walt Disney qui semblent lui avoir servi de culture politique.
voilà ce qu'on a vue dans la video ...
Ils cherchent la misère parce que dans le coeur il n'y a que misère et désolation, ils vivent au sahara en se fesant passé pour des palestiniens, Leur président est insulter de traitre par son propre père, et ils sont soutenu par un homme qui fait la guerre à un pays qui la vue naître et grandir.
C'est le Rendez-vous des ingrats ...
Avec de la patience, nous trouverons notre compte, inchallah
Mouloud Said, the so-called diplomatic representative of Polisario, showed his level of education by calling a peaceful protester " a dog that barks."
The followers of Polisario are welcome anytime to their homeland, Morocco. After all, they all travel using a Moroccan passport.
Just one thing: It is millions of people destiny. Please spread love and banish hate.
God bless you.
anyway that Moroccan guy deserves a medal. Enough said!
Mohamed Reda Taoujni
Morocco is in the Coma right now. They better take the fight to the south Africans.
www.afrol.com/articles/31716
This is a very insignificant event compared to the real situation on the ground and diplomatically.
This woman has very little power. Enough said.
Puisque c'est M6 qui decide le choix de ces responsables, donc il est temps pour lui de s'en debarrasser et ammener des gens plus competents et surtout plus vigilant, car maintenant on est en train de faire un pas en avant et cinq pas en arriere.
Aminatou and les autres font leur travail et le font bien. Heureusement qu'on a des gens comme le brave Hassan qui defendait la marocanite' du sahara au milieu des centaines de pro polisario.
Hassan,
Si j'atais M6, I'll put you in charge of the sahara dossier and I would hope that you would accept the post and the headaches that come with it. I think that it is a smart choice and and horrible one for the Polisario. I think you will be their nightmare.
Note that I say Polisario not the sahraouis.
Good Day!
But the bigger deal is that Morocco Board has comments now! That's pretty great. I'm looking forward to writing here and dialoguing with Moroccans in the future.
Best,
Will
put up a plan to raise their profile in Washington DC. A network of
Moroccan businessmen, professors, and students will very much be a force
to be reckoned with, if mobilized to appear during an award-granting
ceremony or on any other occasion. The interest of preservation of a
unified Morocco should always come first. Petty efforts such as those of a
bunch of misguided will be minimized if this strategy is promoted.
Abdel hafid Missouri
Thank you for your efforts,
There will always be those who are bound to do whatever they can to make your life miserable and defeat your purpose. I am experiencing that in my own life.
I have come to realize that if you want something done, you must do it yourself. This is why every year I take three to four crates of clothes and items to Morocco at my expense to help people who do not have the same chance you are enjoying.
So regardless of your feelings, maintain your self respect and speak and act with the greatest concern. Getting into a confrontation and having the police called is not in that category. You are misrepresenting those people who really need you. If you cannot converse in a civilized manner then get someone who can. No matter how upset I get over the lies told in this country about the Arab/Israeli conflict, I have never lost my cool once. I am asked to speak in front of Ambassadors, and Leaders, and other people. I am always conscious of how I speak to people.
Fe Aman Allah,
Muneerah
Morocco is spending millions on lobbyists that do nothing. Our government has already proven to be inefficient...i t has a lot to answer for.
I am available anytime to volunteer and help.
Thank you.
We should also pay close attention to the fact that Aminatou haidar didn\'t mention Palestine in her speech, nor did she mention East Timor. I think we all understand the reasons for that.
I think that Algeria Military Government got what they paid for the 2 millions.
Remember the Moroccan Prisoners of War episode, it was demonstrating and making noise all over Europe and in here in the US that made Algeria (you don't expect me to mention Polisario, no thanks) release them after decades in jail.
I think Moroccan officials can use the huge Moroccan community in here in the US and in many countries in Europe to organize demonstrations in the front of Algerian embassies every month, with one single banner: "Algeria Stop Harboring the Terrorists".
They create a bad image for us shouldn\'t we do the same.
Mr Hassan ,i commend you for standing up to Judas and his girlfriend. We should start a lobby of Moroccan Americans.
If Algeria's government is so concern about freedom they should provide it to their fellow citizens.I will have to be stupid as a Moroccan to allow Algeria to have a border with us in the South .Look at what they are doing in the north.
PLEASE DO NOT LET THE POLISARIO GET AWAY WITH THIS.CREATE AN ASSOCIATION TO DEFEND OUR LAND.
Sahraouis are not terrorists. No sahraoui has ever been convicted with terror. We all know who got convicted for the Spain train bombing.
Making up stories and throwing unfounded insults is not the way to go.
Sahraouis are simple Moroccans who ended up on the wrong side of the fence thanks to Algerian Military.
We need to help them jump the fence and greed them with open arms. We need to free them.
Good day!
I especially appreciate when tyou said :
"So regardless of your feelings, maintain your self respect and speak and act with the greatest concern". I am also afraid
of misrepresenting those
people who really need us.
Allah erdee 3leek
It is unfortunate to find out that the POLISARIO male and female representatives outnumbered Moroccans since there was only two Moroccans responding to their baseless and fabricated statements. It is even worse to witness, through the video, that the POLISARIO representative, Moulud Said, felt the total freedom to bash a Moroccan citizen, Hassan Samrhouni, with \"Listen to the dog is barking!\" Prior to making his hideous statement, Moulud Said accused Morocco of \"occupation\".
Therefore, the question he should have heard is:
Where was he along with that female who claimed she does not possess a Moroccan passport, asserting \"I have no identity\" when Moroccan marchers took to southern Morocco in 1975?
Those Moroccans carried the Quran and Moroccan flags unlike what that female carried, during the ceremony, a flag of a separatist group that has killed Moroccan servicemen, through guerilla warfare, while Morocco refrained from any act that does not conform to the International Law.
I hope that the Moroccan community would be able to receive newsletters prior to these infamous events, so we would counter disinformation campaigns. Moreover, we would provide the audience and attendees with historical and political facts that would certainly thwart any attempt to mobilize certain individuals, including legislators, or groups in the U.S., as well as NGO\'s, against the Moroccan initiative.
Although we all know that the U.S., France, and other key players in the international community have expressed their support to the Moroccan initiative, our community should make every effort to reach out to officials at both the state and federal levels, as part of an awareness campaign that would inform even non-profit organizations of the dilemma that many Moroccan families have encountered due to the loss of their relatives who were either kidnapped or killed by the POLISARIO that has had a safe haven in Algeria.
Also, it is crucial for the Moroccan community to inform those people and groups of implications, and possible scenarios that would take place in the region, should the POLISARIO and Algeria continue on their attempts to hinder the U.N-sponsored talks which aim at one solution only. That is autonomy within the Moroccan sovereignty in order to prevent the entire region from the rise of a Tora Bora area in the future.
The scenarios include smuggling of drugs and contraband products, trafficking of clandestine immigrants, and weapons, and may be the spread of terrorism in the region.
I am also wondering whether the Moroccan Embassy and Consulate in Washington DC knew about this event. I think it would have been useful if their representative attended the event to at least take remarks.
Also, I would think that the Moroccan Embassy should address a detailed letter to the Washington DC Police Department for allegedly banning Moroccan individuals from having access to the ceremony.
Once again, I really would like to stress the importance of communication among the Moroccan community in our area.
Respectfully,
Abderahim Raziki
I didn't spell it as I should have, but I have nothing against Sahrawis, my problem is with Polisario and Algerian Military Octopus...
First, the phrase “Algeria stop harboring terrorism” doesn’t mention Polisario and can (maybe should) always be perceived as a slogan against the Algerian Military Apparatus “ambiguous” role in the bringing to life and nurturing of terrorism in Algeria. Like Algerian people, Moroccans also have their right to claim that they are citizens of the world and should manifest against the "red decade" in a neighboring state.
As for your reply, I think the question is worth asking, is Polisario a terrorist organization? Well that depends on how you answer the following questions:
1- Did Polisario attack, kidnap and/or kill Moroccan civilians (including sahrawis)?
2- Did Polisario destroy, every time it was in their reach, all private or/and public property in the Sahara and even beyond the disputed territories such as.. Tantan?
3- Did Polisario use thousands of killers-for-hir e from all around the world during the war?
4- Did Polisario torture, often until death, the Moroccan POWs?
5- Did Polisario hijack in 1975 half the Sahrawi population in Tindouf?
6- Is it okay for Sahrawis to leave Tindouf or, to the contrary, is every (unsuccessful) attempt to escape is harshly punished?
I don’t know what it takes to be called a terrorist, since you mention the Spanish train (where, indeed many Moroccans and some Algerians were the main perpetrators.) try and compare the number of victims in the Sahara to those in Spain
فنتمنى أن يكون أحمد حرزني وإدريس اليازمي ومن يسير معهم في طريق الغموض أن يقفوا بدورهم وقفة رجال المهجر للدفاع عن وحدتنا الترابية وأن يتلقوا السب من جبهة البوليساريو كما قدف سعيد مولود المواطن الغيور حسن السمغوني عندما قال للجمع هذا كلب بلده ينبح فأجابه السمغوني بأنه يشرفه أن يكون كلب بلاده والا يكون خائنا ويقصد بذلك سعيد مولود وجبهة البوليساريو الإنفصالية
في انتظار ما يقوم به السيد اليازمي من رد الإعتبار لمواطن مغربي تلقى قدفا أمام الحضور نهيب بالجالية المغربية في العالم أن تندد باسلوب السب والقدف الذي اتى على لسان سعيد مولود في حق الفاعل الجمعوي والناشط الوطني حسن السمغوني
حسن السمغوني , يحضر حفل تتويج أميناتو حيدر بجائزه كينيدي لحقوق الإنسان و يذكر الصحراويين الحاضرين بجوازاتهم المغربيه . مولود سعيد, ممثل البوليساريو في أمريكا "و الديبلوماسي " , كان يسب حسن السمغوني و يصفه بالكلب اللذي ينبح .
Thank you much for standing against those people that claim they belong to that certain imaginary place called Polisario camp. Mr Samharouni brought up a good point and a reminder at the same time for those Ignorants, if you have a moroccan Passport you have to be so Dumb not realize that you are moroccan. Not Polisario.
Bahja or barka or whatever your name is This message goes for you too
A man with magnetism , charm, personality, and charisma, Any time I watch this video you are my personal reminder , and I ask myself, “Am I brave enough to make a difference in the world?” and I want to be able to answer that question?
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