In a highly anticipated address to the nation, His Majesty King Mohammed VI will deliver a stirring speech on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of the Green March on Monday, November 6.
The much-anticipated event is scheduled to take place at the Royal Palace in Rabat at 8 p.m., a statement from the Ministry of Royal Household, Protocol, and Chancellery has said.
The speech will be broadcast on national radio and television stations nationwide as the King reflects on the historic significance of this pivotal moment in Moroccan history.
The anniversary celebrates the heroic march carried out by hundreds of thousands of Moroccans, who responded to an appeal from the late King Hassan II for a mass march to end the Spanish colonisation of Morocco’s southern provinces.
“We have to do one thing, dear people, and that is to undertake a peaceful march from the north, the east, and the west to the south. It behoves us to act as one man in order to join the Sahara,” the late King said in his famous call to action speech on October 16, 1975.
In response, Moroccans flocked to the southern provinces from across the country to take part in the Green March on November 6, which saw the participation of at least 350,000 Moroccan men and women.
The non-violent demonstration contained slogans and chants supporting Morocco’s territorial integrity, with many holding Morocco’s flags and copies of the Quran.
Since then, the date has marked a milestone for Moroccans, with King Mohammed VI celebrating the anniversary of the Green March through speeches that recall the late King Hassan II’s speech and the heroic participants who took part in the event.
The speeches also serve as an opportunity to recall Morocco’s position in the Western Sahara dispute. Every year, Morocco’s monarch has emphasized that a solution to end the dispute should be based on Morocco’s Autonomy Plan, which is recognized by the international community as a serious and credible solution to end the dispute.
