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 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 ...

on April 9, 1947 at the

Mendoubia The Mendoubia or Mandubiyya ( es, Mendubía) refers to the former residence and office of the Mendoub, the representative of the Sultan of Morocco in the Tangier International Zone from 1924 to 1956 (with interruption during World War II). It no ...

in what was then the

Tangier International Zone The Tangier International Zone ( ''Minṭaqat Ṭanja ad-Dawliyya'', , es, Zona Internacional de Tánger) was a international zone centered on the city of Tangier, Morocco, which existed from 1924 until its reintegration into independent Moroc ...

, 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. While the design of the current mosque dates from the early 19th century during the Alaouite period, the same site has b ...

. At the time, Morocco was under French 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 Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

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 exe ...

Background

The Istiqlal Party's presented the Proclamation of the Independence of Morocco January 11, 1944. In this 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 (Arabic: ; September 5, 1908, in Rabat – April 14, 1990, in Rabat) was the 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. Biogr ...

, 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 in

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

, specifically

Senegalese Tirailleurs The Senegalese Tirailleurs (french: Tirailleurs Sénégalais) were a corps of colonial infantry in the French Army. They were initially recruited from Senegal, French West Africa and subsequently throughout Western, Central and Eastern Africa: t ...

serving the

French colonial empire The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas colonies, protectorates and mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward. A distinction is generally made between the "First French Colonial Empire", that exist ...

, 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, killing 180 Moroccan civilians. The conflict 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,

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prepared the sultan's speech.{{Cite web, date=2012-10-19, title=الحبابي: بنبركة هو الذي كتب خطاب محمد الخامس بطنجة وكان يدخل القصر مع عبد الرحيم بوعبيد مختبئين, url=https://www.febrayer.com/43153.html, access-date=2021-07-06, website=فبراير.كوم {{! موقع مغربي إخباري شامل يتجدد على مدار الساعة, language=en-US 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 Army general (France), general who became Marshal of France. A graduate of the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr, École Spéciale Militaire class of 1912, ...

, a military man, to reenforce French authority at the center of the '' protectorat'' regime.

References

1947 speeches History of Morocco 1947 in Morocco April 1947 events in Africa

Background

Casablanca Tirailleurs Massacre

Speech and consequences

See also

References