Morocco: The Voice of the Mob

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As it is, the 35-year-old monarch still has the wholehearted support of the countryside. After all, Hassan is the deified leader of a deeply religious nationalism, and nearly 75% of all Moroccans are country folk who revere both royalty and Allah. Confident of rural support, Hassan last week dropped earlier government charges that the riots had been provoked by "foreign agitators" (translated Ahmed ben Bella) and in a radio broadcast couched in peasant Arabic, focused the blame on "three disappointed elements" in Moroccan society: the students, the unemployed and the "malcontents." He announced no spectacular solution for Morocco's plight, only demanded hard work and patience. "A politician who promises you a prosperous future is a liar," declared the King with regal candor. "I cannot promise you a prosperous future."

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