By Samia Errazzouki

There is a widely held perception that the Moroccan king Mohammed VI is beyond the reach of criticism. That view was quickly shattered in light of the “Daniel Gate” scandal following the king’s pardon of a convicted Spanish pedophile, Daniel Galván Viña, in the midst of serving a thirty-year prison sentence for sexually abusing eleven children. The initial response on social media spread rapidly through the use of the #DanielGate hashtag, which remains active to an extent. Reacting in a united outrage, Moroccans from across the political spectrum mobilized in thousands across the country protesting against the royal pardon. The widespread anger compelled the palace to release a statement on state media claiming that the king was unaware of the crimes Daniel committed, promised to launch an investigation on how he ended up on the list, and to meet with families of the victims. (suite…)