Chapter 946 Morocco
In fact, during the days of replenishment in Casablanca, Xiao Peng played a lot in Morocco.
He lived in Marseille for many years and had a very bad impression of Morocco before coming here.
Marseille, nicknamed the 'Capital of North Africa,' is home to a large number of Moroccans. Xiao Peng didn't have a very good impression of them, as the crime rate among Moroccans there is quite high—as it turns out, poverty breeds unruly people. Most Moroccans who come to Marseille are from less fortunate backgrounds.
There's something quite interesting. Everyone knows Europe has a serious refugee problem, but the crime rate among genuine refugees from war-torn countries like Iraq and Syria isn't high. It's not that there aren't any, but it's very low compared to their population. Meanwhile, the crime rate among "fake refugees" from non-war-torn North African countries is surprisingly high.
The real refugees want to "survive", while the "fake refugees" want to "make a lot of money". It is obvious which one is more likely to commit crimes.
The crime rate in Marseille is high because their population comes from these places. The Marseilles often say: If we didn't have the Maghreb people here, our place would be much better!
The so-called "Maghreb" is a geographical term, meaning "the place where the sun sets", which is the North African line north of the Atlas Mountains. It is now the nickname for Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, and is also the place where the most "fake refugees" come from.
The main channel for these "fake refugees" to enter Europe is Morocco.
There are two cities on the coast of the Strait of Gibraltar in northern Morocco, one is Ceuta and the other is Melilla. Both are Spanish enclaves, which means that although they are in Morocco, they belong to Spain.
Before Spain joined the European Union, these two places were "free ports" and their main source of income was cross-border commercial trade. Let's put it this way: those two places were also where smuggling was most rampant and where it was easiest to sneak people into the country.
After all, they are in Morocco, and entering Ceuta or Melilla is equivalent to entering the European Union. In order to prevent illegal immigrants, these two places have racked their brains. The two cities are surrounded by barbed wire, fences and watchtowers.
But this cannot stop those people's determination to smuggle themselves across the border: some climb over barbed wire, some hide in suitcases, some hide in cars with EU license plates... Every year, a large number of fake refugees enter Europe from here to start a new life.
The EU has been scolding Morocco every day for this, saying that they allowed fake refugees to enter Europe.
In fact, Morocco is also wronged. They have been cracking down on illegal immigration, and the measures are extremely strict.
Once, 700 fake refugees attempted to sneak through the border but were stopped by Moroccan military and police. Eventually, a conflict broke out between the two sides and many people were shot. As a result, Europeans began to accuse Morocco of inhumane behavior.
Morocco looked at it and thought: It’s not right for me to intervene, and it’s not right for me not to intervene. Well, let it be whoever wants it!
It turns out that ignoring it is not enough. The EU will impose sanctions on them. They originally had an "Agriculture and Fisheries Trade Agreement" with the EU, but now it has been directly revoked. The meaning is: if you don't care about the fake refugee problem, then wait to be dealt with.
But Morocco is really a tough guy. "You're already turning the table, and you still want me to cooperate with you?" So they simply relaxed their policies, allowing all kinds of illegal immigrants to have opportunities. As a result, all kinds of people went to Europe, and these people are the culprits of Europe's high crime rate.
The French also don't have a very good impression of them.
Pascal once told Xiao Peng about his trip to Morocco, saying that the people there felt like beggars, asking for money for everything. Thieves, scammers, unscrupulous vendors, and demanding taxi drivers... From Pascal's perspective, no one here was a good person.
But when Xiao Peng came over, he found that Pascal's words were exaggerated. This place is still very good.
Perhaps it was because there weren't many Chinese people here, and Xiao Peng had just made a big news story: the Chinese had arrested a gang of illegal fishermen. Illegal fishing is the most hated thing in all coastal countries, and anyone who catches illegal fishermen is their friend. So Xiao Peng and his friends had a really good time here.
He traveled to several cities and encountered neither thieves nor scammers, nor any illegal taxi drivers. He also bought a lot of local souvenirs.
While Casablanca isn't the capital or one of the famous "Four Imperial Cities," it's the most prosperous place in Morocco. Rick's Café, the filming location for the movie "Casablanca," still stands today. With its white ceiling, white columns, black lines, white floor, and white veils draped from the ceiling, one might mistake it for a funeral.
With luxurious chandeliers, old-fashioned fireplaces, tables and chairs, it makes people feel like they have traveled back to
There's also the Hassan II Mosque here. Xiao Peng speculates that the city got its name from this mosque—"Casablanca" means "white house" in Spanish. The Hassan II Mosque is a beautiful, large white mosque on the Atlantic Ocean, and it's also very friendly to non-Muslims.
After Xiao Peng took a quick tour, the two ships completed their supply work, so they continued to head south and left Morocco.
The Chinese ambassador to Morocco was almost waving a handkerchief to see you off. You've caused such a big fuss as soon as you arrived. Do you know how you've been criticized back home?
Xiao Peng doesn't have time to worry about this! He has enough to worry about at sea!
The Atlantic Ocean to the west of Morocco is an area with abundant fishery resources, and it is also a gathering place for illegal fishing. However, they rarely catch illegal fishing boats. Why is that?
It's not that they don't have warships, but rather that the Madeira Islands, a little to the north of their west coast, belong to Portugal, and the Canary Islands, a little to the south, belong to Spain. These two archipelagos occupy a large swathe of territory. How can you use warships to crack down on illegal fishing? If you send a ship out and they enter Spanish or Portuguese territorial waters, they won't be able to catch them.
Portugal and Spain also face a problem with illegal fishing vessels: they escape into Moroccan territorial waters and are unable to capture them. While illegal fishing is a crime that everyone condemns, it also involves national sovereignty issues, and the ownership of the two archipelagos is a historical issue, so both sides have concerns.
The appearance of Xiao Peng just broke this situation. He is a Chinese, has no vested interests on either side, and can solve the most annoying problems of both sides.
This is truly a gift from God! But why did he leave? Wouldn't it be great if he could stay here longer and catch more illegal fishing boats?
What a pity...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
