Algeria–Morocco: When hatred reaches a child, it is a failure for everyone

The assault of a 14-year-old Algerian teenager in a fan zone in the United States should not be dismissed as a mere isolated incident. It is a particularly serious warning sign. The fact that a child could be targeted because of a football jersey is a reality that should outrage anyone committed to the values of respect and human dignity.

For several years, social media has become the stage for a troubling radicalization of public discourse. Insults, smear campaigns, constant provocations, and calls for confrontation have gradually normalized a hostility that should never have left the virtual sphere. Today, the danger is that this verbal violence may evolve into real-world violence.

Most alarming is the fact that the first victims of this toxic climate are often the youngest members of society. An entire generation is growing up under the influence of content that divides rather than unites, that fuels resentment instead of encouraging dialogue. When a teenager attends a sporting event hoping to share a common passion and instead encounters violence, it is the very spirit of sport that is betrayed.

It is also impossible to ignore the accumulation of controversies that have poisoned relations between public opinions in the two countries: disputes over cultural heritage, controversies surrounding exhibitions, constant clashes on social media, and the politicization of issues that should belong to the realms of culture or sport. By continually fueling tensions, certain actors have contributed to creating a climate of suspicion and hostility whose consequences are now becoming visible.

But one point must be stated clearly and unequivocally: no political rivalry, diplomatic disagreement, historical debate, or cultural dispute can ever justify the assault of a child. Never.

Those responsible must be identified and held accountable before the courts. Not only to deliver justice to the victim, but also to send a clear message: violence against minors will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

When a society begins to view the presence of a child wearing a football jersey as a provocation, it must seriously question the direction it is heading. Hatred is not an opinion. Violence is not patriotism. And attacking a child will never be an act of courage—it is a wrongdoing that deserves the strongest possible condemnation.

By Belgacem Merbah

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