November 6 1975 CE – The Green March Sends 350,000 Moroccans into Western Sahara
*Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons On the northwest coast of Africa, a unique demonstration against European colonialism took place on November 6, 1975: 350,000 people gathered near the border of their home country, Morocco, to walk peacefully into the Spanish-occupied territory to the south. The Green March, so named for the color associated with Islam, was a coordinated attempt by the Moroccan leadership to reclaim Western Sahara, which had been annexed by Spain in 1884. Opposition to the presence of European administration in the Spanish Province of Sahara gained momentum during the 1950s. The Polisario Front, a Socialist organization formed by Sahrawi natives hoping to turn their homeland into an independent nation, grew out of the discontent. Taking up arms in a guerilla campaign against the Spanish governors in 1973, the group came together with the express purpose of driving out European influences to achieve sovereignty for Western Sahara. Frustrated with the security threats by October 1975, representatives from Spain secretly began discussions for an orderly transfer of power to the Sahrawi. There was just one problem: leadership in other countries was convinced of having ownership of the area, as well.
