His Majesty, the King provided support to the nationalists who organized a triumphant reception for him in Fez. The French, concerned by the patriotic unrest, withdrew public freedoms and took repressive measures at the encounter of representatives of the National Movement.
(This text was excerpted from reports Said Hajji provided to the Middle Eastern Arab press in mid May 1934.)
During the last few months, the Moroccan National Movement, has undergone a rapid evolution which the French had totally missed. It is now certain that our young democratic King, on whom Moroccans have laid all their hopes, has expressed his deepest concerns for our efforts and granted his hopes for their success. In all his travels, he is received by enthusiastic crowds and by heartfelt cheers.
Over the course of this week, the country has been the stage for several consecutive events tied to the trip by the Sultan to Fez where he resides for a month per his wishes and per custom. Contacts were established between the patriotic leadership and the royal palace to coordinate the preparations for the festivities planned for this occasion. Afterwards, the Sultan, his retinue and ministers left the capital and headed first to Meknez where they were acclaimed jubilantly by the populace. A delegation of youth presented him with a copy of the Koran which he received with much satisfaction and, in appreciation, the King inspired them with a benevolent speech.
Later, he left Meknez and arrived in Fez where he was welcomed at the city's entrance by a delegation of nationalists. In contrasts to its usual practice, the royal procession halted so that the King could greet those who had come to receive him so warmly. When the procession entered the city, the enthusiasm of its inhabitants reached its peak, applause came from all corners, cheers and ovations invoked a long life for the King, for Morocco, for Islam and for Arab nationalism. The King responded (kindly) to this acclaim with dignified hand gestures so much so that the patience of the French authorities was exhausted. The person in charge of the security services ordered his henchman to interpose themselves between the King and those acclaiming him and to do all that was needed to silence the crowd. But despite the clashes they provoked with their awkward intervention, they did not succeed.
The day following his arrival in Fez, the King held court inside the palace with representatives from diplomatic missions, consulates and other official agencies. On his third day, he visited the mausoleum of Idriss I, the founder of Morocco's first Muslim dynasty. The French authorities wanted to prevent people from welcoming him during this visit but the masses invaded all accesses to the mausoleum and thus foiled the plans of the occupier. Moreover the King, accompanied by representatives of the National Movement, proceeded through the main artery which was filled with an endless crowd. The latter intensified its cheers and chanted patriotic songs with ardor and extraordinary zeal. Smiling and with traditional hand gestures, the King slowly proceeded through the welcoming throng. Next in the company of the National Movement leaders he entered the mausoleum where Idriss I lay. After a tour of the site, he paused to meditate and pray for Allah's mercy in front of the tomb of the founder of the Idrisside dynasty which began twelve centuries ago. He retired to his palace in the midst of an enthusiastic and festive crowd while Moroccan flags waved from all doors and storefronts.
The French were hardly appreciative of the warm reception that the residents of Fez accorded to their sovereign. On that same day they held a meeting at 1:00PM in the French General Residence in Rabat. In attendance were the main leaders of the colonial administration. Then a representative left Rabat and arrived in Fez at 3:30 PM where he immediately met with HM the King. All sorts of rumors circulated about the nature of this meeting which lasted for an hour and a half and all kinds of extrapolations were made with regards to the position taken by the Sultan during this encounter. However we prefer to consider these rumors and extrapolations as (speculative) fantasies and let them lie in silence.
Leaving Fez with the residents in a state bubbling with excitement, the King returned to Rabat. Complaints were raised about the disgraceful behavior of the colonial authority, unanimously viewed to be in very poor taste and contrary to the most basic rules of polite conduct and decorum. The nationalists addressed an official complaint to the President of the Republic of France, to the Chief of Staff of its government and to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in denunciation of the manner in which their local authorities behaved with regards to the King as well as the propaganda orchestrated by these same representatives against nationalist circles.
HM the King summoned Mohammed El Wazzani, Mekki Naciri and Omar ben Abdeljalil to the Rabat Royal Palace for a meeting under the chairmanship of his Grant Vizier. On behalf of His Majesty, the latter immediately conveyed to those who were summoned, the gratitude and high esteem to the National Movement for the excellent reception they had accorded His Majesty. He then informed them that His Majesty the King rejected the charge by the sources dissatisfied with the events that had taken place in Fez alleging the actions of the nationalists were "childish." This meeting had reverberations without precedent amongst Moroccan circles which alarmed the French authorities and made them uncomfortable.
This occurred on May 14, two days prior to the anniversary and sad memory of the forced imposition of the Berber Decree. Leaflets were distributed throughout all corners of Morocco denouncing the maneuvers by the protectorate administration to impose its divisive Berber policy on Moroccans. A nationwide strike paralyzed the country throughout the day of May 16. and petitions were made vigorously complaining about the Berber policy and demanded that the protectorate authorities renounce any attempts to enact clauses of the decree. These petitions were addressed to His Majesty the King, to the Resident General of France who was away from Rabat in Paris, to the French National Council Chairman and to the French Minister of Foreign Affairs. During the mid-day, the Moroccan populace, convened in mosques where sermons invited the faithful to pray that the Lord help them overcome the tyranny of their oppressors. Mosques were besieged, demonstrations were banned and inter-city communication rendered impossible.
