Morocco expels two French women after topless kissing protest
By Will Stroude
Morocco has expelled two French women from the country after they staged a topless gay rights protest outside an ancient mosque.
The pair, who are members of feminist action group Femen, bared their chests – emblazoned with the words ‘In gay we trust’, and filmed themselves kissing outside the ancient Hassan Mosque – which no longer serves as an active place of worship – on Tuesday (June 2).
The women were arrested on their way to the airport to return home, before being expelled for carrying out acts “offensive to Moroccan society,” reports Reuters.
“This act of provocation was an unacceptable offence to Moroccan society,” the interior ministry said in a statement.
“The two were arrested at Rabat international airport after they filmed obscene scenes.”
Femen previously demonstrated against the criminalisaion of homosexuality in Tunisia in 2013, whereupon three European activists were sentenced to four months in jail.
“I know Morocco could be more dangerous than Tunisia,” one of the protesters, who identified herself only as Marguerite, said following her arrest.
The incident comes just days after three men were reportedly jailed in Morocco after being found guilty of same-sex sexual activity.
Article 489 of the conservative Muslin nation’s penal code states that any one found guilty of carrying out “a deviant act with a person of the same sex” can be jailed for between six months and three years or issued with a fine.
In March, Human Rights Watch called on Morocco to decriminalise homosexuality, saying that “criminalising consensual, adult homosexual conduct violates international human rights law”.
It noted that article 24 of Morocco’s 2011 constitution states that “all persons have the right to protection of their private life”.
“This right, absent in the previous constitution, should lead to the abolition of the law criminalising consensual same-sex conduct,” it said.
Last year, British man Ray Cole was arrested and sentenced to four months in prison after explicit images were found on his phone by Moroccan authorities.
Cole was later released from prison after his family lodged an appeal, describing the experience as “hell on Earth”.
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