Animal welfare campaigners have accused the Moroccan authorities of deploying a “dangerous propaganda strategy” to justify a fresh wave of dog killings across cities preparing to host the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which kicks off on 21 December.
The International Animal Welfare Protection Coalition (IAWPC) says chilling parallels can be drawn between the sudden surge in hostile media coverage about free-roaming dogs and the spike in violent slaughter operations reported across major host locations, including Agadir and Marrakesh. All six cities slated to host AFCON are the same sites being purpose-built for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Last week, Moroccan ‘pro-government’ outlets published coordinated stories portraying street dogs as a rising public menace, accompanied by deliberately alarming images of snarling, barking and growling animals. The propaganda includes the authorities using the pro state media to report how it is implementing humane strategies. There is no evidence for this.
Campaigners say the timing was no coincidence, such deceitful propaganda by the government is common.
According to the IAWPC, such coverage acts as a social “primer”, pushing the public into a state of heightened alert before municipal authorities launch mass killing operations. Within days of the reports circulating, eyewitnesses in multiple AFCON host regions began documenting intensified killing, including shootings, night-time round-ups, and, in one horrifying incident, the beheading of a dog whose body was left on railway tracks.
Les Ward MBE, chairman of the IAWPC, said the tactic followed a familiar pattern used to sanitise the systematic elimination of free-roaming dogs.
“This is propaganda, pure and simple,” he said. “When the authorities want to underhandedly seek public tolerance for slaughter, they flood the media with frightening images that bear no resemblance to the calm, vaccinated and community-cared-for dogs who actually live in these areas. Whether they are successful or not, the killings begin.
“We are now seeing the human cost too. Children are witnessing shootings, bloodshed and acts of shocking violence. The psychological harm this causes, which for some will last a life-time and the message it sends is disgraceful.
“FIFA can’t remain silent. Morocco is already preparing World Cup infrastructure and these atrocities are happening in the shadows of those stadiums. We call on FIFA to make an immediate public statement condemning the killings and urging Morocco to end this barbaric campaign.
The IAWPC, which has grown into a global movement in just over a year, has been working with FIFA to promote humane, science-led solutions to street dog management. But the coalition warns that without public pressure, the cycle of media scapegoating followed by mass culling will continue as major sporting events draw nearer.
Campaigners are urging international football bodies, sponsors and human rights groups to treat the killings as an urgent welfare and reputational issue.
“AFCON should be a celebration of sport, instead of the trigger for another mass killing spree,” Mr Ward added.
