Italy-based Moroccan associations have denounced recently in a letter to authorities of Pisa (Center Italy) the exploitation of minors from the Tindouf camps for political purposes and anti-Moroccan propaganda in a bid to undermine Morocco’s territorial integrity.
In the letter addressed to the highest authorities of Pisa, associations of Moroccan students and workers, gathered within the Network of the Associations of the Moroccan community settled in Italy (RACMI,) expressed concern over “the propaganda campaign orchestrated against Morocco” through the use of these children and with the complicity of the Mayor of Pisa, Marco Filippeschi.
The letter signatories explained that the Polisario separatists are “a criminal gang, which holds as hostage the populations in the Tindouf camps, on Algerian territory.” The gang prevents the camps populations from expressing themselves freely and uses children as a blackmail tool against rebellious parents, the letter states.
They signatories warn the city’s Prefect and Mayor against the manoeuvers of the Polisario and the Algerian regime and urged them to get informed accurately about the genuine motives behind the Sahrawi children’s trip to Italy.
The Moroccan associations also warned the Italian Minors’ National Committee against the exploitation of the Sahrawi children, who are officially visiting Italy for a summer camp, but who are actually used to “harm Morocco” through misinformation and propaganda campaigns.
Actually, before traveling to a European country for the so-called summer camps, these minors are subjected to indoctrination sessions and are forced to carry in their luggage the Polisario flags that they brandish whenever they are instructed to do so, to attract public attention.
The letter signatories called the Italian Government to take the necessary measures to put an end to abuses and serious violations of human rights in the Tindouf camps and to take action against the perpetrators of such abuses.
They also urged Italian authorities to sift through the programs of solidarity and humanitarian action concocted in Italy in favor of the Tindouf camps to make sure who are the genuine beneficiaries of these programs.
It is worth recalling that the European Commission has recently decided to cut humanitarian aid to the Tindouf populations, after massive diversion of humanitarian aid by the Polisario leaders was revealed, with supporting evidence.