On Tuesday, October 28, at a press conference held at the American International Institute in Madrid, the animal rights party “PACMA” launched an international campaign aimed at stopping the culling of stray dogs in Morocco. This issue has intensified since Morocco was announced as one of the host countries for the 2030 World Cup, alongside Spain and Portugal.
The campaign, titled “FIFA: A Red Card for Dog Massacres in Morocco,” directly targets the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), as well as the Spanish and Moroccan governments and the Spanish Football Federation. The party is calling for urgent intervention in what it describes as a “crisis of monumental proportions.”
### Ground Investigation in Tangier
The party explained that the campaign was initiated after receiving several alarming videos showing systematic killings of dogs on the streets of Morocco. Due to a lack of accurate information regarding the location and timing of these videos, the party’s team traveled to Morocco, arriving in Tangier at the beginning of September to investigate on the ground.
During their visit, party representatives met with officials from the Tangier Municipality, who categorically denied the authenticity of these videos. They affirmed that Morocco has made significant investments in animal protection and is currently working on issuing the first national animal protection law.
### Insufficient Official Efforts
PACMA, which has raised its red card against Morocco, believes that current initiatives are inadequate for the scale of the crisis. The number of stray animals, particularly dogs and cats, has become overwhelming, and most preventive measures rely on animal protection organizations and individuals who sterilize and vaccinate animals using their own resources.
The authorities have taken some steps, such as establishing the first large temporary shelter in Tangier; however, their role remains supplementary. Meanwhile, eyewitnesses continue to document instances of poisoning and shootings of dogs by municipalities, sometimes in broad daylight.
### FIFA Under Pressure
The party highlights that FIFA’s silence is a fundamental part of the crisis. In August, PACMA shared a video on social media urging citizens to send messages to FIFA demanding intervention. The situation escalated to calls for the withdrawal of Morocco’s nomination to host the World Cup if the massacres do not cease.
The video garnered widespread attention, surpassing one and a half million views on Instagram, with hundreds of messages sent to FIFA. However, the organization has not issued any official statement.
Now, the party has strengthened its campaign through its website with a new system for mass messaging to FIFA and the Moroccan embassy in Spain, in addition to collecting signatures directed at the Spanish government as a co-host of the 2030 World Cup.
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