Moroccans protest Maersk ship with F-35 parts for Israel
Clashes broke out in the northern Moroccan city of Tangier on Sunday as protesters demonstrated against the planned arrival of a Maersk cargo ship reportedly carrying components for F-35 fighter jets destined for Israel.
At 16:30 local time (15:30 GMT), protesters set off from the Iberia Palace in central Tangier, a twenty-minute walk from the city's port, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
Though the port mainly handles ferries and passenger traffic, its location near the old medina made it a potent symbol of Tangier's strategic coastal role and, according to the Moroccan Front for Palestine, its "responsibility not to become a gateway for facilitating genocide".
The protest was directed at the Maersk Detroit, which was expected to dock in the early hours of Monday at the Tangier Med Port, an industrial complex an hour outside the city.
There, the cargo was to be transferred onto the Maersk Nexoe for onward shipment to Haifa, according to activists.
Dockworkers' unions and pro-Palestine groups said in separate statements that the cargo had included spare parts for American-made F-35 warplanes destined for Israel.
"We sent a letter to the Moroccan government detailing the ship's contents and how dangerous this transfer is, but they refuse to take us seriously", said Sion Assidon, a veteran activist and founder of Morocco's BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement, urging authorities to intervene and investigate.
Earlier that day, nearly 1,000 people had gathered outside the gates of Tangier Med port. That protest remained peaceful for two hours, with no major clashes reported.
Port authorities at Tangier Med have repeatedly stated they are "not aware of the contents of containers transiting through global shipping routes or stopping temporarily at our facilities."
When contacted by local media earlier this month, Maersk confirmed it was transporting F-35 components, but claimed the shipment was not intended for Israel. Instead, the company said, it was destined for other members of the joint fighter jet programme.
TNA reached out to Maersk for further information but received no response by the time of publication.
Across the Strait of Gibraltar, a parallel protest was held at the entrance to the port of Algeciras on Sunday 20 April.
Organised by Cádiz for Palestine, the demonstration condemned Maersk's alleged involvement in the transport of military equipment to Israel and called on the Spanish government to ban such vessels from docking in Algeciras, Valencia, and Barcelona.
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