Azrou - On the occasion of King Felipe VI’s visit to Morocco next Monday and Tuesday, the Spanish Green Party demands that he apologize to his southern neighbor for the historic atrocities Spain committed against Morocco, when its army attacked the Rif region, in northern Morocco.
The attacks were carried out with the blessing of King Felipe’s great-grandfather, King Alfonso XIII.
According to the party’s statement, this apology would not only ensure respect for Moroccans, but also for the Spanish, who did not take part in or condone the atrocities committed by their army.
Following its defeat in the battle of Anoual in July 1921 at the hands of a guerilla led by Muhammad Ben Abdelkarim El Khattabi, Spain decided to inflict a collective punishment on the population of the Rif with bombs loaded with toxic gas.