A major event that sounded the death knell for the protectorate

The historic visit made by the late H.M. Mohammed V to Tangier on 9 April 1947 constitutes, in more ways than one, a major event in the history of Morocco, sounding the death knell for the protectorate and enshrining the integrity of the Kingdom's territory.The "journey of unity" undertaken by the Father of the Nation to Tangier, a city under international administration at the time, came at the right moment to defy the colonial powers and solemnly proclaim the Kingdom's desire to regain its freedom and independence. Indeed, after the end of the Second World War, it was necessary to remind the whole world that Morocco is a sovereign and unified homeland, a reality that the French and Spanish protectorate and the special status of the city of the Strait could not change.Even before it began, the royal visit caused panic in the ranks of the colonial authorities, who were aware that this e…