Moroccan journalist supports Putin's war on Ukraine praising homophobic stance of 'Russian civilisation'

A Moroccan journalist is facing backlash from the gay community in the kingdom after he expressed support for Putin’s war on Ukraine, praising the Russian leader for his homophobic policies.

Rachid Achachi, a self-styled Moroccan geopolitics expert, shared on his social media pictures from queer parades in New York set against photos of a church in Russia and a Mosque in Morocco to justify his support for ‘Russian civilization’ against Western-facing Ukraine.

"This is not a political, ideological or societal choice, but a civilizational destiny! Make your choice, mine has been made for a long time!" He tweeted in French.

Il ne s'agit nullement d'un choix politique, idéologique ou sociétal, mais d'une destinée civilisationnelle!
Faites votre choix, le miens est fait depuis longtemps! 🇲🇦🇷🇺 pic.twitter.com/gitJMQkdOh

— Rachid Achachi (@Rachid_Achachi) February 27, 2022

Ranked 39 in Europe Rainbow Map – A map created by ILGA-Europe, the European group of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association that monitors LGBT+ rights in the continent – Ukrainian queer folk enjoy a relatively free atmosphere where they can express their sexuality, organise parades, and join the military, while same-sex marriage and adoption for same-sex couples remain limited.

Amid Moscow's unprovoked war on Kyiv, the Ukrainian LGBT+ community are voicing fear and distress over human rights abuse they could face if Putin controlled the country. 

The U.S warned that Russia’s ‘kill list’ of Ukrainian targets contains many LGBT+ figures. 

Russia passed a law against so-called "gay propaganda" in 2013, which made it illegal to equate same-sex and heterosexual relationships or promote gay rights. 

Ideologist for some, polemicist for others, Achachi’s new statements against the LGBT+ community crossed the line from his ‘usual controversial opinions’ to ‘encouraging violence against queers,’ claimed the Queers in North Africa movement.

“When a Moroccan journalist working in a well-known platform as ‘LuxeRadio’ (a private Moroccan Francophone radio station) justifies violence against Ukraine and the west just for accepting people’s freedoms of expressing their sexualities, He is, of course, inciting violence" against LGBT+ in Morocco, Queers in North Africa told The New Arab.

Achachi’s radio programme was suspended last year for comparing the adoption of mandatory vaccination passes in Morocco to Nazi Germany in the 1940s.

Morocco has kept a neutral position regarding the Russian invasion of its neighbour. 

The kingdom’s penal code punishes same-sex sexual relationships with up to three years in jail, according to article 489 from the penal code.