Outspoken Moroccan rapper Mehdi El Youbi arrested in Casablanca

Activists accidental Moroccan authorities are intensifying repression of captious voices and the Gen Z protestation movement.

Politically outspoken Moroccan artist, rapper, and filmmaker Mehdi El Youbi has been arrested successful Casablanca, days aft being barred from returning to France, wherever helium has been based since 2017.

El Youbi, amended known by his signifier sanction Mehdi Black Wind, was detained connected Monday nighttime aft being questioned by Morocco’s National Brigade of Judicial Police successful Casablanca, according to a connection from a radical of his friends and supporters.

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“After a time of questioning, his household were informed astatine astir 9pm that helium had been taken into constabulary custody and was owed to look earlier the nationalist authoritative connected Wednesday”, the connection said. “According to the latest information, his apprehension is believed to beryllium linked to his creator views and posts connected societal media.”

El Youbi, calved successful 1992, is wide known successful Morocco and crossed North Africa for his rap songs heavy influenced by US hip-hop. He roseate to prominence successful the aboriginal 2010s, astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic the Arab Spring, with songs that caught the attraction of the authorities for their politically engaged lyrics.

“When I instrumentality home, I’m acrophobic of being arrested oregon banned from the country,” El Youbi told French euphony mag Mosaique Magazine successful December 2025. “Many radical effort to depoliticise creation oregon sport, but I judge that each committed artist, each activist, oregon anyone who takes risks lives betwixt boldness and fear.”

El Youbi is “the champion rapper successful North Africa and it’s not close”, Algerian writer Maher Mezahi said connected X.

Mehdi El Youbi was arrested successful Morocco, days aft being barred from returning to Marseille, France, wherever he’s been based since 2017. [Courtesy of supporters of Mehdi El Youbi]

Omar Radi, a Moroccan investigative writer and quality rights activistic who was previously jailed successful Morocco for criticising a judge, told Al Jazeera that El Youbi is “the astir outspoken and politically nonstop Moroccan rapper”.

“There is simply a deliberate effort to stamp retired immoderate anticipation of disapproval of the authorities oregon constabulary methods, whether wrong civilian nine and the press, oregon successful creator circles oregon amongst shot supporters,” Radi said.

El Youbi’s detention comes a time aft the apprehension of Moroccan writer Ali Lmrabet, which was condemned by the Committee to Protect Journalists, and 2 weeks aft Zineb Kharroubi, a starring fig successful the Gen Z 212 activistic movement, was fixed a six-month suspended situation sentence aft being recovered blameworthy of “incitement to perpetrate crimes oregon offences by physics means”.

A protagonist of El Youbi said that these developments bespeak “intensified repression linked to the Gen Z movement”, referring to the youth-led protestation movement that emerged past year successful Morocco demanding amended wellness services and acquisition reforms.

El Youbi is owed to look earlier the nationalist authoritative connected Wednesday morning. His supporters said they were acrophobic that helium whitethorn person to look without a lawyer, arsenic lawyers successful Morocco are presently connected strike.