Earlier this month, two teens in Nador, Morocco were arrested for publicly kissing. A third, their friend, was arrested for photographing the kiss and putting it on Facebook. The case has yet again brought tensions between the religious and secular sects of the nation to the forefront, no more so than after a group of young people held a “kiss-in” to support the arrested teens.
The boys in question were 15 and the girl 14. Soon after their arrest, which happened after some shitty person saw the photo on Facebook, Moroccans in support of them held a “kiss-in” in public, which was supposed to have thousands of attendees, though only a dozen ended up kissing. Counter-protestors showed up to the event and literally threw chairs at the kissers, which you can see in the video below. One told France 24, “We are an Islamic country and kissing in public is forbidden. A simple kiss can lead to other things. These are atheists who are acting against Islam.”
Amnesty International has asked the government to drop the charges against the teenagers. They’ve also taken issue with the laws under which the trio was arrested:
All three were charged with “public indecency” under Article 483 of Morocco’s Penal Code. If found guilty, they could face up to two years imprisonment and a fine.
Furthermore, one of the boys was accused of “indecent assault” on a minor under Article 484 of the Penal Code for allegedly kissing the 14-year-old girl, an offence which carries prison sentences between two and five years.
Teenage kiss arrests spark furore in Morocco [Aljazeera]
Image via YouTube