✍️ BY: Maamar Gani
Algiers – November 2025 – In the Maghreb’s political landscape, contrasts often require no lengthy explanation. Sometimes, all it takes is observing how a people greet their leader and how close a citizen can get to their head of state to understand the true nature of the relationship between ruler and ruled: Is it a bond of affection and belonging? Or a relationship built on fear and compulsion?
Algeria: Affection Flowing from the People—Neither Imposed nor Bought
During President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s visit to Constantine on Thursday, the public witnessed spontaneous scenes of young Algerians rushing toward him with enthusiasm—waving, cheering his name, and some approaching to gently kiss the President’s forehead with complete naturalness. No rigid protocol blocked them. No hand was extended to force their bow. No official cameras dictated what they should do.
The images from Constantine were a clear reflection of genuine popular sentiment—love that is not dictated, respect that cannot be purchased, and closeness to the President without barriers. That scene was not a political performance, but a spontaneous expression of trust between the people and their leader: a profoundly human relationship before a political one.
Morocco: An Exhausted People… Commanded to Kiss the Hand
By contrast, the ordinary Moroccan stands in weary lines waiting for the king to pass so he may perform the well-known “mandatory ritual”: kissing the hand. A ritual that has long ceased to symbolize respect and, in the eyes of many Moroccans themselves, has become a mark of humiliation and the loss of dignity before the cameras—while in Algeria, a citizen kisses the President’s forehead out of affection.
Here lies the stark difference: Is there any greater humiliation than being ordered how to display your loyalty? When the human body becomes a political instrument? When a kiss shifts from a gesture of respect to a symbol of subjugation?
Spontaneity vs. Protocol
The contrast between the two scenes is not trivial:
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In Algeria: the people walk toward the President.
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In Morocco: the citizen is ushered toward the King.
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In Algeria: the forehead kiss is an act of love.
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In Morocco: the hand kiss is a sign of humiliation.
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In Algeria: the relationship is natural and human.
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In Morocco: it is rigidly hierarchical and ceremonial.
The difference is not in the details… but in the essence—between a people who truly love their leader and express it freely, and a people who are compelled to display loyalty through prescribed gestures.
The Distance of Dignity
The real difference between the two scenes is not measured by the size of the crowds or the loudness of the chants, but by the distance of dignity between leader and citizen.
In Algeria, the citizen approaches the President with his head held high—shakes his hand, smiles, and kisses his forehead if he so chooses. No one commands him. No one dictates how he must show respect.
In Morocco, the citizen bows under the strict scrutiny of protocol officers—pushed forward to perform an archaic ritual he has no choice but to obey. The scene shifts from “respect” to coercion… from protocol to humiliation. A forehead kiss is a symbol of affection; a forced hand-kiss is an emblem of oppression—no matter how they attempt to beautify it.
In a single moment, one can grasp the difference between a state that safeguards the dignity of its citizens and another that violates it under the guise of ritual.
In Algeria, the people stand tall—approach their President freely, smiling, greeting him, kissing his forehead out of affection that requires no permission. No officer directs their hands. No protocol forces them to bow.
In Morocco, the opposite unfolds—a poor citizen pushed forward, a protocol officer gripping his shoulder, his neck lowered before he even thinks… to perform a ritual devoid of choice: kissing the hand. A kiss that is not respect, but obedience—and nothing is more painful to a human being than being forced to display a loyalty he did not choose.
Thus, the divide between the two countries is not merely political, but fundamentally human:
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Here: a kiss on the forehead that lifts the spirit.
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There: a kiss on the hand that breaks the back.
Between affection freely given and loyalty extracted under pressure, the contrast remains as clear as daylight: a people who love their leader… and a people compelled to kneel before their king.
The “I Am With My Country” Campaign: Another Reflection of the Bond Between Algerians and Their State
Amid the scenes that captured the profound trust between Algerians and their President, a remarkable digital movement swept across social media: #أنا_مع_بلادي (“I Am With My Country”).
Within mere hours, the hashtag transformed into a vast popular current. Everyone engaged—voices united in a single message. The wave of interaction was neither artificial nor orchestrated; it was a spontaneous response springing from a collective sense that the moment demands standing with the nation, especially in light of smear campaigns targeting Algeria and its leaders.
What amplified the campaign’s impact was how naturally it echoed the scenes witnessed in Constantine: young people approaching their President with ease, President Tebboune wearing his cap casually, and that affectionate forehead kiss that shattered every malicious narrative.
“I Am With My Country” was not just a phrase typed online—it became a collective stance, a powerful digital force that delivered one clear message: the people are united… and every attempt to undermine trust between Algerians and their state has failed in the face of this popular cohesion.
Yesterday, this campaign proved to be the strongest response to defamation and distortion efforts, flooding social media with uplifting and patriotic content until the hashtag dominated national trends and silenced negative voices.
Once again, Algerians have demonstrated that their bond with their country is not forged by speeches, but by action—by spontaneous, genuine popular mobilization that requires neither orders nor incitement.
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