Moroccans love their king, don’t they?

The BBC’s From Our Own Correspondent has a feature on the country’s king, and the “respect” supposedly lavished on him in his country:

When Moulay turned up with the tea I asked him about the portrait on the telly.

“We love him,” he said.

Over the following days and on ensuing trips to Morocco, the young, shy face of Mohammed VI would become very familiar indeed.

In fact most Moroccans probably spend more time with this face than anyone they actually know.

He looks down from billboards in the street and hangs in little frames from taxi rear-view mirrors.

I wonder if these same Moroccans are as respectful of their king when away from his portraits, to say nothing of his security forces? As one who has met a fair few in the UK, I doubt it.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Afghanistan and women’s education: why is it even a debate?
• Hatred is not a phobia
• Shamima Begum, ‘grooming’ and responsibility
• Tunisia and tyranny: just part of life?
• Are democracies’ economies weaker?