The Moroccan content creator ‘Ayoub’, better known as ‘Bn Nsns’, with a following of millions of followers, ended up under arrest because during the Islamic festival of Sacrifice he had posted footage of himself intent on skinning and then eating a stray dog. The arrest, in Martil in northern Morocco, follows an official complaint filed by the Moroccan Society for the Protection of Animals (SPA) for alleged animal abuse.
The video posted on YouTube had raised a wave of indignation and condemnation. Provocation or offense against religion? In any case, even comparing such an act to the Eid sacrifice was blasphemous.
«Eid al-Adha does not symbolize brutality»
“Eid al-Adha symbolizes neither brutality nor mistreatment of animals, but on the contrary embodies the values of solidarity, of drawing closer to God, of mercy and respect”, write the concerned animal rights activists, because violence towards animals, whether alive or dead, could “be the signal of a trend that transforms into other forms of violence, even against human beings”.
The influencer’s version and precedents
Following the wave of outrage from internet users and animal rights activists, Ayoub Bn Nsns published a clarification on its social media profiles before deleting the video. In the post, he denied having cut the dog’s throat, stating that he had found it already dead on the side of the road, having been hit by a vehicle.
“Stop saying I cut his throat; it’s all documented,” he wrote.
Ayoub Bn Nsns is known for its provocative content. He filmed himself eating insects or chickens caught near shrines to instigate suspicions that they had been used in witchcraft rituals. He has also posted footage of himself cooking various animals, including a large rat and a scorpion, as well as a video in which he dares to bury it alive for a click-bait bet for his channel.