The Massacre of April 7, 1947 (popularly in ''darbat saligan'' 'Strike of the Senegalese,' more officially: 'Massacre of April 7' or 'Events of April 7') was a

massacre A massacre is an event of killing people who are not engaged in hostilities or are defenseless. It is generally used to describe a targeted killing of civilians Glossary of French words and expressions in English#En masse, en masse by an armed ...

of working-class Moroccan civilians in

Casablanca 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 ...

committed by

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 ...

in the service of 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 ...

. The attack was instigated by the French authorities in an attempt to disrupt the visit of Sultan Mohammad V to 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 ...

to deliver the

Tangier Speech The Tangier Speech (, ) was a momentous speech appealing for the independence and territorial unity of Morocco, delivered by Sultan Mohammed V of Morocco, Muhammad V of Morocco on April 9, 1947, at the Mendoubia in what was then the Tangier Intern ...

demanding the independence of Morocco and the unification of its territories.

History

In the days leading up to the sultan's speech, French colonial forces in

, specifically Senegalese ''Tirailleurs'' serving the

, carried out a massacre of working class Moroccans. The massacre lasted for about 24 hours from 7–8 April 1947, as the ''tirailleurs'' fired randomly into residential buildings in working-class neighborhoods, killing 180 Moroccan civilians. The conflict was instigated in attempt to sabotage the Sultan's journey to Tangier, though after having returned to Casablanca to comfort the families of the victims, the Sultan then proceeded to Tangier to deliver the historic speech. April 7 Plaza () in is named in memorial of the events.

References

{{coord missing, Morocco 1947 in Morocco Military history of Casablanca Massacres in 1947 Massacres committed by France Working class in Africa Massacres in Morocco French Morocco 20th-century mass murder in Morocco 1947 labor disputes and strikes Labor disputes in Morocco