Campaigners today have dismissed the unfurling of the world's biggest flag in occupied Western Sahara as a political stunt by Morocco and demanded that Guinness World Records strip them of the record which they were awarded on 9 May. The giant 20 tonne, 60,000 square metre Moroccan standard was laid out in Dakhla, Western Sahara and Guinness World Records sent a judge to authenticate the record. But campaigners from Europe, America and Australasia have pointed out that Western Sahara is classified by the United Nations as a non-self-governing territory and that Moroccan claims to sovereignty over the country have been dismissed by the International Court of Justice and have not been recognised by a single nation.
Last week Guinness World Records were contacted by campaigners who said that by authenticating the record they were legitimising the unlawful occupation of Western Sahara and requested that the record be rescinded. A spokesperson for Guinness responded stating that “our task is to measure, count, monitor all world records. We are not in a position to comment on the political nature of things - we simply document the world around us.”
Stefan Simanowitz, Chair of the Free Western Sahara Network, said today:
“Under international law, the situation of Western Sahara is unambiguous. Morocco does not have sovereignty over the territory. The UN has passed over a hundred Resolutions reaffirming the inalienable right of the Western Saharan people to self-determination. If Saddam Hussein had unfurled a giant Iraqi flag in Kuwait in 1990 I am confident Guinness would not have flown out a judge to measure it. By sending a judge to authenticate a record attempt that has clear political overtones, Guinness cannot claim to be non-political. By authenticating this record they are effectively legitimising an illegitimate occupation and we ask that the record be rescinded.”
Campaigners believe the giant flag is a clumsy attempt by Morocco to distract attention from a series of PR disasters surrounding Morocco's 35 year illegal occupation of neighbouring Western Sahara. It came just days after it emerged that the Moroccan government had persuaded the French government to use its veto to prevent any mention of human rights being included in the latest UN Resolution on the disputed territory and just months after Morocco was forced to readmit hunger striking Nobel Peace Prize activist Aminatou Haidar after having her deported.
WESTERN SAHARA CAMPAIGN UK
The Western Sahara Campaign works in solidarity with the Saharawi people to generate political support in order to advance their right to self-determination and to promote their human rights.
Our role is to lobby the UK Government and the EU. You can help us to ensure the UK does not ignore the voice of the Saharawi people.
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