The man behind North Africa's first Holocaust Memorial said that he had received a letter from the authorities, ordering him to leave the country and to put an end to his NGO's activities. Speaking to Yabiladi, Oliver Bienkowski said that he is planning to bring the case to court, resisting his expulsion. German NGO PixelHelper, known for attempting to build North Africa's first Holocaust Memorial in Morocco, announced that it was ordered to seize its activities in Ait Faska and leave the country. Speaking to Yabiladi, Wednesday, the founder and president of the NGO Oliver Bienkowski said that the «Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent on March 4 a letter» to the Ait Faska-based association demanding its «departure». Denouncing the «decision, delivered by the German embassy in Rabat on the same day», Bienkowski said that he is planning to bring the case to court. The guerilla-activist, who has been living in Morocco since 2014, said that he rejects the «expulsion decision». «I have a three-year rent contract in addition to a purchase option for the Ait Faska property», he added. «We want to rebuild our canned bread bakery, bring investors and supporters from all over the world to Ait Faska and there is no reason for us to be expelled», the activist argued. Linking the current decision to the Holocaust Memorial destroyed by the authorities in August for not having the needed permits, Bienkowski insisted that the PixleHelper facility in Ait Faska «housed art», promising to bring to court «videos» proving that the association has nothing to do with «Zionist activities». Art installations to help locals in Ait Faska On the same token, the German activist denounced the fact that he «has not received yet [his] a residence permit, even though [he] has a 3-year lease contract and a company in Marrakech with all requirements to get an investor visa». For the record, the NGO's property in Ait Faska made headlines earlier this year after its founder announced that he was building a memorial to honor Jews who died in concentration camps, including the ones who belonged to the LGBTQ+ community. Following this announcement, the local authorities, who said that the German artist and activist did not have the permits needed for such venues, demolished PixelHelper's Holocaust memorial. In 2019, Bienkowski tried to defend his art installations in Ait Faska after he was accused of spreading «Israeli propaganda». Disappointed by the voices that linked his work to Israel and «Zionism», the Kassel-native stressed that his organization «has nothing to do with that». Bienkowski stressed his works and campaigns are meant to defend «minorities» and several causes in several parts of the world, including Uyghurs, Palestinians, migrants and Jews detained in the concentration camps.
