The Fes Riots, also known as the Fes Uprising or Mutiny (from , '), the Tritl (, among the

Jewish community Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

) and the Bloody Days of Fes (from ) were riots which started April 17, 1912 in

Fes Fez or Fes (; ar, فاس, fās; zgh, ⴼⵉⵣⴰⵣ, fizaz; french: Fès) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fès-Meknès administrative region. It is the second largest city in Morocco, with a population of 1.11 mi ...

, the then-capital of

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

, when French officers announced the measures of the

Treaty of Fes The Treaty of Fes ( ar, معاهدة فاس, ), officially the Treaty Concluded Between France and Morocco on 30 March 1912, for the Organization of the French Protectorate in the Sherifien Empire (), was a treaty signed by Sultan Abd al-Hafid o ...

, which created the

French protectorate in Morocco The French protectorate in Morocco (french: Protectorat français au Maroc; ar, الحماية الفرنسية في المغرب), also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco between 1912 to 1956. The prote ...

. The riots broke out shortly after the population of Fes learnt about the treaty, which they generally viewed as a betrayal by

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

Abd al-Hafid, who had left Fes for

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...

to ensure his safety. After the riots he was forced to abdicate in favour of his brother

Yusuf Yusuf ( ar, يوسف ') is a male name of Arabic origin meaning "God increases" (in piety, power and influence).From the Hebrew יהוה להוסיף ''YHWH Lhosif'' meaning "YHWH will increase/add". It is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew name ...

. Despite warnings of an uprising, most French troops left Fes, leaving behind 1,500 French troops and 5,000 Moroccan ''askars'' (local colonial infantrymen) commanded by French officers. On the morning of 17 April, the French officers announced the new measures to their ''askars''. Many units immediately mutinied, causing a total loss of control. According to the report on the front page of ''Le Matin'' on April 19, 1912, the riots broke out in Fes at about 11:00 am Wednesday morning, April 17, 1912. The rebels killed three

wireless telegraphy Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy is transmission of text messages by radio waves, analogous to electrical telegraphy using cables. Before about 1910, the term ''wireless telegraphy'' was also used for other experimental technologies for ...

workers and injured a fourth to cut connections with the outside world. The sultan, Abdulhafid, was besieged by rebels at his palace. The soldiers attacked their French commanders, then left their barracks and attacked the European and Jewish quarters of the city. According to the Moroccan historian Mohammed Kenbib, "the French commander, General Brulard, thinking that the Jews were supporting the insurgents, ordered his artillery to shell the ''mallāḥ'', causing great devastation, and wounding and killing many people, both Jews and Muslims." The rebels surrendered after two days. The death toll included 66 Europeans, 42 Moroccan Jews and some 600 Moroccan Muslims. The first account of the riot was written by Hubert Jacques, a journalist at '' Le Matin'', and a personal friend of

Hubert Lyautey Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey (17 November 1854 – 27 July 1934) was a French Army general and colonial administrator. After serving in Indochina and Madagascar, he became the first French Resident-General in Morocco from 1912 to 1925. Early in ...

. The report was strongly critical of

Eugène Regnault Eugene is a common male given name that comes from the Greek εὐγενής (''eugenēs''), "noble", literally "well-born", from εὖ (''eu''), "well" and γένος (''genos''), "race, stock, kin".resident-general A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of indi ...

in Morocco.

Bibliography

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References

{{Massacre-stub Riots and civil disorder in Morocco 1912 riots Fez, Morocco 1912 in Morocco Mutinies Jews and Judaism in Morocco Antisemitism in Morocco Mass murder in 1912 1912 in Judaism Francophobia Intifadas Judaism in Fez Massacres in Morocco