The power struggle within the General Union of Workers of Morocco (UGTM) promises summer episodes. On Monday, clashes between supporters of Hamid Chabat, General secretary of the Istiqlal Party, and members of the security forces took place in front of the Union's headquarters in Rabat. The police came to enforce a judgment of the Court of First Instance in Rabat, summoning the branch led by Kafi Cherrat to evacuate the seat of the Istiqlal trade union arm to the benefit of the current one directed by Enam Mayara. A verdict to which the pro-Chabat showed strong opposition. Immediately after, Hamid Chabat and other militants of his union chanted slogans, denouncing the police arsenal set up to implement the decision of the Rbati court. «The interference in the internal affairs of trade unions and political parties will have catastrophic and disastrous repercussions on the country and the nation,» Hespress quoted him as saying in a note to his supporters. For him, «the people aspire to important achievements in health, education, water, electricity and housing, while they are distracted with these secondary problems». «Morocco has always belonged to the King and Moroccans and those trying to create a gap between the two will be among the losers,» he continued, adding his voice to those of other activists. The crowd even recited verses from the Koran. On May 21st, an extraordinary UGTM congress was to be held in Sale and then in Rabat before being interrupted by members of the security forces who came to enforce a decision of the president of the tribunal of First Instance of Salé who forbade this meeting. The union branch of the party is the theater of a struggle between a pro-Chabat movement with at its head Kafi Cherrat and another movement directed by Enâam Mayara, close to Hamdi Ould Rachid.
