59 years ago, on October 29, 1965, Mehdi Ben Barka, icon of the Pan-Africanist movement and leader of the opposition to King Hassan II, was kidnapped in front of the Lipp brasserie in Paris. Since then, despite ten successive investigating judges, the investigation into his disappearance has never been concluded. On the occasion of this anniversary, which coincides with the visit of the French president to Morocco, the Mehdi Ben Barka Institute organized a gathering yesterday Tuesday in Paris in front of the Lipp brewery, where he disappeared.
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In front of the Lipp brasserie in Paris, a crowd of nearly 200 people forms. Sign in hand, the Ben Barka family and their supporters came to pay their respects at the scene of the opponent’s kidnapping Moroccan59 years ago. An anniversary made all the more somber by the fact that Ritha Ben Barka, the wife of Mehdi Ben Barka, died four months ago.
During his speech, Bachir Ben Barka shared a few words about the loss of his mother. “ Today we are overcome by sadness. This is the first October 29 where she is not present. However, another feeling is also strongly present: it is great anger towards these leaders who refused to respond to a legitimate wish and a moral obligation in the face of death. “, he said.
“ There is an emergency » to elucidate this disappearance
In the crowd, we cannot help but notice the calendar coincidence between the birthday and the Emmanuel Macron’s trip to Morocco. Especially since the latter has not, or not yet, responded to the open letter sent by Bachir Ben Barkainviting French and Moroccan leaders to “ make the necessary decisions » to elucidate the disappearance of his father.
With the death of Mrs. Ben Barka, the sense of urgency is felt all the more for François Sauterey, co-president of the Movement against racism and for friendship between peoples. “ There is an urgent need for the French government to shed light, because many witnesses are starting to age and soon die. One day, it will no longer be possible to interview actors in this drama », he alerts on the microphone of Welly Diallo.
While waiting for the oldest investigation file in France to finally be resolved, the Ben Barka family has asked the city of Paris for a symbolic burial site at which they can pay their respects.
Also readHalf a century after his disappearance, the Ben Barka mystery remains unsolved