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ARRevolution of the King and the People 2026
ثورة الملك والشعب — August 20, 1953
Revolution of the King and the People (Thu Aug 20) is directly followed by Youth Day (Fri Aug 21). Add the weekend and you get 4 consecutive days off (Thu–Fri–Sat–Sun) with zero leave days needed.
See the long weekend calculatorRevolution of the King and the People: history
The Revolution of the King and the People (ثورة الملك والشعب) commemorates one of the most dramatic episodes in Moroccan history: on August 20, 1953, French colonial authorities exiled Sultan Mohammed V and his family — first to Corsica, then to Madagascar.
The exile: a strategic French miscalculation
By exiling the Sultan, French authorities hoped to break the bond between the monarch and the nationalist movement. The opposite occurred. The exile triggered an unprecedented wave of popular outrage. The Moroccan people intensified their resistance through boycotts, strikes, and armed attacks on French interests.
- Urban resistance: boycotts, strikes, civil disobedience
- Armed resistance: attacks on French interests across Morocco
- Popular legend: Moroccans reported seeing the Sultan's face in the moon
- International pressure: Morocco's case brought before the United Nations
The triumphant return of 1955
Facing mounting popular and international pressure, France backed down. Sultan Mohammed V returned triumphantly to Morocco on November 16, 1955. On March 2, 1956, Morocco proclaimed its independence. August 20 is now commemorated as the day king and people forged their bond in the face of adversity.