فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Fes – Dozens of traditional artisans are organizing a protest on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, starting at 10:00 AM in front of the headquarters of the Agency for Development and Rehabilitation in Fes (ADER-Fès), protesting an emergency judicial ruling issued on Monday, December 1, 2025, ordering the eviction of 20 artisan families from the “Jenane Caftan Lalla Yedouna Hotel” space in the heart of the old medina. This project was originally designated to support artisans under the National Initiative for Human Development programs.
Details of the Case That Sparked the Outrage
The Agency for Development and Rehabilitation filed an eviction lawsuit against the artisans, considering them “occupants without title,” based on a land title deed it obtained in 2021. However, the traditional artisans confirm that they entered the space in 2019 with the official presence of the then-Minister of Tourism and Traditional Crafts, the Wali (Governor), and the director of the agency itself. They were handed the keys and signed an official report before a judicial commissioner proving the legitimacy of their occupation.
Mohamed El Ayadi, a traditional artisan and one of those affected, describes the ruling as “an administrative and judicial scandal,” considering that it:
- Ignores the agency’s own previous administrative commitments
- Exceeds the jurisdiction of emergency courts by ruling on the substance of commercial and administrative rights
- Is issued on a property burdened with property rights belonging to third parties, making the ownership unclear
Complete Absence of the Traditional Crafts Chamber
Those affected expressed their deep dissatisfaction with the absence of the Fes Traditional Crafts Chamber from the scene, as it has not issued any statement or intervened to protect the interests of the artisans who represent its electoral base, which the artisans considered “a complete abandonment of its representative role.”
Immediate Appeal and Call for Solidarity
The artisans confirmed that they immediately filed an appeal to suspend the execution of the ruling and demanded that the Court of Appeal declare the emergency court’s lack of jurisdiction and refer the case to the administrative court to rule on the agency’s responsibility for the commitments made by the state to the artisans.
They also issued a call to all human rights, civil society, and media actors to attend and show solidarity at the protest, considering that the issue is not merely a property dispute but a direct threat to the existence of hundreds of families who depend on traditional crafts as their sole source of livelihood in the old medina.
This crisis represents a new chapter in a series of tensions between the Development and Rehabilitation Agency and artisans in Fes, where artisans accuse the agency of “gradual appropriation” of artisan spaces to convert them into commercial tourism projects at the expense of local artisans.
