It is total anarchy on Al Massira Boulevard in Essaouira. For several years, most shopkeepers have arrogated to themselves the right to forbid citizens from parking their cars in front of their shops. There are those who put out chairs, scaffolding, boxes, and even tables to present motorists with a fait accompli without having the slightest right to do so. Scenes of clashes are multiplying without local authorities or elected officials taking the necessary measures to defuse tensions and thus enforce the law on shopkeepers who appropriate roads and pavements with complete impunity.

"As you can see, this shopkeeper arrogates to himself the right to forbid parking to citizens by placing chairs over several metres. Worse still, he reacts aggressively to the complaints of motorists as if it were his private property!", a citizen indignantly says.

They all pass by there: executives and agents of the local authority, city councillors, municipal officials, and law enforcement. They observe this anarchic and abusive situation without lifting a finger to restore order.

"It is not up to us to protect public space against such acts and excesses. Where have the competent services gone?", asks a motorist on Al Massira Boulevard.

Following this abusive and illegal ban, small taxis are forced to stop in the second lane to drop off citizens, thus causing major traffic jams even though traffic on the boulevard, which is nevertheless very narrow, is only authorised in one direction.

"We do not understand the relationship between the competent services and a category of shopkeepers on Al Massira Boulevard... The latter, in addition to this anarchic practice, had prevented the redevelopment of the boulevard with paving stones for reasons that are certainly inadmissible, but which nevertheless forced the municipal council not to touch the current state of the passage. Otherwise, we would have avoided such problems, the shops would have gained in respect, and the citizens would be calmer during their shopping," regretted a shopkeeper in favour of the boulevard's redevelopment.

But Al Massira Boulevard is no exception to this subject. Thus, hotels, restaurants, and individuals do the same by imposing this ban by painting the pavement red in front of their premises.

"Only municipal services have the right to mark such bans. Any legal or natural person having an authorisation in this sense should display the references to notify citizens," a city councillor told us.