French-Moroccan Journalist Suspended by France’s BFMTV for “Moroccan Sahara” Remark

The presenter had referred to “the Moroccan Sahara” while covering Morocco-Spain ties.

On Feb 3, 2023

According to Politico, the French news channel BFMTV has suspended French-Moroccan journalist Rachid M’Barki during an investigation into the journalist’s most recent broadcast.

In a formal statement, the channel stated that it is looking into content that was broadcast “without going through the proper editorial checks.”

M’Barki has not appeared on air since mid-January, making him the suspension with the most attention within the channel, according to Politico, which also stated that the network has been holding hearings with his colleagues.

According to M’Barki, he did not engage in any misconduct despite using information from sources that did not “necessarily follow the usual editorial process.”

“They were all true and authentic. I carry out my duties, he told Politico. “I’m not excluding anything; perhaps I was duped; I didn’t feel that way or that I was taking part in some sort of operation, or else I wouldn’t have done it.”

Many cited a news article in which M’Barki reported on the Morocco-Spain Investment Forum held in Dakhla in 2022 and used the terms “Moroccan Sahara” and “Moroccan city.”

M’Barki, a Moroccan national, has long-standing connections to his home nation.

Rabat and Paris are currently embroiled in simmering political tensions, which are the subject of M’Barki’s report and BFMTV’s investigation.

Notably in this case, France has over the years maintained a hazy stance on the Sahara conflict, declining to unequivocally support the Moroccan autonomy plan as some other countries, like the US and Spain, have done.

The French decision to reduce the number of Moroccan visas issued in 2021, a move that Moroccans are still protesting today, is also a contributing factor in the crisis between Paris and Rabat.