Italy – PLDP: Morocco, the Migration Crisis and the Struggle of the Sahrawi People
We hereby share an unofficial translation of an article published by Per la Democrazia Popolare on August 2nd.
The recent episode in Ceuta, one of the few colonies still maintained by the Spanish imperialist State, has brought back the issue of the alleged contradictions of social-fascist opportunism, particularly with regard to the supposed antagonism and the collusion in practice with the governments of semi-colonial countries characterized by bureaucratic capitalism, like Morocco.
Last Thursday, tens of thousands of migrants, at yet another high cost in terms of human lives, attempted to cross the borders that separate the Kingdom of Morocco from the Spanish colony of Ceuta, which stretches for more than 8 kilometers across a territory of 18.5 km 2 , and ischaracterized by massive militarization; clearly aimed at denying access to the Moroccan masses who–driven by the perpetual state of impoverishment and super-exploitation to which they are subjected to by imperialist exploitation backed by bureaucratic capitalism–periodically try to cross its borders in the hope of being welcomed so that they can then reach “Europe” from there.
The political and media chaos deliberately stirred up after this event—which, incidentally, was relatively short-lived, since nearly all of the migrants who crossed the borders were immediately forced to return to Morocco—continued with a series of accusations exchanged between various government forces and Parties. The debate over whether this event was possibly facilitated by Morocco, the United States, or even the Zionist State is irrelevant to anti-imperialists, who must instead denounce it as a manifestation of reactionary and red-brown positions. What matters is, first, to denounce the role of the opportunist Spanish government and, second, in light of the principal contradiction between imperialism and the oppressed peoples, to support the popular masses of Morocco against bureaucratic capitalism and imperialism and, at the same time, the right of the Sahrawi people to wage a national liberation war against the Moroccan monarcho-fascist regime to achieve national independence.
The issue of Western Sahara—often overlooked within the real or supposed circles of our country’s anti-imperialist movement—is of paramount importance, because it embodies many of the contradictions of imperialist domination in the territories governed by the Moroccan state. The issue of the oppression of the Sahrawi people, perpetrated by that very same puppet State of the US imperialists, also plays a role in the “migration crisis” in Morocco. In recent years, particularly since the first term of the ultra-reactionary Trump, Morocco has received more open support for its plans to annex Sahrawi territory. In 2020, US imperialism formally recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara in exchange for the normalization of relations with the Zionist entity. The reactionary Moroccan government has indeed openly stabbed the Palestinian cause in the back, after decades of secretly sabotaging it, and this has only served to confirm its role as a semi-colony primarily subservient to the interests of the United States. At the same time, aware of the unpopularity of colonialism and the growing anti-imperialist sentiment sweeping the masses worldwide, coupled with the fact that it is now extremely costly to maintain direct occupation of oppressed nations, the monarcho-fascist government is now proposing a sort of autonomy. This is a sham autonomy, comparable to the “two-state” farce in Palestine or the old plans of French imperialism to maintain its rule in Algeria during the war of national liberation. This project is, of course, backed by the UN and other international bodies that serve the interests of finance capital.
A correct approach to the question of Western Sahara necessarily requires recognizing the nature of the Moroccan occupier, which classes are in power, and which powers they serve. As already mentioned, the monarchy serves US imperialism and constitutes its semi-colony. This obviously does not prevent very close relations with various European imperialist powers. Subjugation to imperialism has led to the development of a bureaucratic capitalism that serves the interests of foreign powers, and the colonial enterprise itself in Western Sahara serves the interests of foreign finance capital. The Moroccan monarchy is nothing more than the specific form taken by the rule of the bureaucratic-comprador bourgeoisie in the country. It is well known that imperialist penetration is always accompanied by the preservation of pre-capitalist relations and the resulting reactionary superstructure, in this case represented by the monarchical regime. In this situation, Spanish imperialism plays a distinctive role–led by the government of the social-fascist Pedro Sánchez, which safeguards its colonial dominions by sending the army to repress migrants’ aspirations for a better life. Despite a rhetoric that appears to favor to the rights of the Sahrawi people, it openly expressed its support for the “peace” plan promoted by Morocco in 2022.
Even though Spain does not formally recognize Moroccan sovereignty in order to maintain its image as a “progressive” country, it effectively supports a proposal put forward by the very entity that oppresses the Sahrawi people! Once again, comparisons with support for the false “Palestinian National Authority” are rife. It’s worth recalling that the Spanish opportunist government’s official reverse course on Western Sahara occurred right after the latest “migration crisis” in Ceuta, which took place in 2021.
Moreover, European financial capital has numerous economic interests in Western Sahara, ranging from the rampant exploitation of its coasts for intensive fishing to renewable energy and the extraction of phosphates for fertilizer production.
Furthermore, with the rise of fascism, imperialist governments increasingly need to rely on collaborationist governments like Morocco to facilitate the mass deportation of thousands of people, as demonstrated by the Italian government’s recent statements following the temporary suspension of the Schengen Agreement with Spain. Moreover, as reported by the Fatto Quotidiano newspaper in an August 2nd article, Italy is the European Union’s leading arms seller to Morocco. These “deals” too, fit into the logic of strengthening the repressive apparatus of reactionary governments in countries with bureaucratic capitalism, thus enabling the “maintenance of order” and the repression of mass struggle.
The growing attempts to pacify the Sahrawi national movement necessitate intensifying support for its resistance––a resistance directed against bureaucratic capitalism represented by the monarcho-fascist government, against imperialism, and against the entire semi-feudal bloc that reproduces itself with the aim of facilitating imperialist domination. It is therefore important for anti-imperialists to fight against Italian imperialism’s collaboration with Morocco and to support the Sahrawi people; this means advocating that the entire territory of Western Sahara must be an independent country and reaffirming that any proposal for “autonomy” is, at best, naive and, at worst, part of a deliberate plan to crush the demands of the Sahrawi people.
Per la Democrazia Popolare Collectives
