French influencer arrested after posting negative review of holiday destination 

Morocco: A social media influencer from France has been arrested at Marrakech Menara Airport on June 13 after allegedly posting a video criticising her holiday experience in Morocco.

Yass Naubelle, a 30-year-old content creator and founder of a skincare brand was reportedly detained by police for publishing a viral video in which she allegedly criticised local authorities that sparked hundreds of comments online.

The French-Algerian influencer allegedly criticised local law enforcement as well as general driving standards in Morocco in her video. According to the reports, the woman was stopped by border authorities shortly before boarding her flight back to her home country France.

The Moroccan authorities arrested Naubelle under a national warrant and placed her in custody as Moroccan authorities deemed her clip “defamatory towards Moroccan citizens” and “outraging to the forces of order” that amounted to an insult against the country’s security forces.

State investigators reported that Naubelle was held on suspicion of publishing digital content considered defamatory and insulting towards citizens. They noted that she was placed in police custody “to determine the real motivations behind these criminal acts”.

The video, filmed during her short break in Marrakech has now been removed and deleted by Yass, showed her describing the local roads as dangerous and criticising the driving behaviour she witnessed during her stay.

According to the reports, she allegedly said, “I’ve never seen people drive like this. It’s super dangerous – cars, mopeds without helmets, with children on board, swerving suddenly.”

Naubelle further compared the driving standards to Algeria, she added: “It’s less bad than here”. She also allegedly accused some traffic police officers of stopping women “for nothing” in order to extract money.

The content triggered a national alert, attracting widespread attention online and leading to her interception at the airport. Yass has more than 20,000 TikTok fans, and she currently remains in custody in Morocco.

No formal charges or court appearance details have yet been publicly confirmed other than her initial arrest.

Marrakech remains a popular destination for European tourists including many from France and UK every year. The destination relies heavily on holidaymakers but has seen occasional controversies involving social media content.

However, travellers are generally advised to remain cautious with social media posts about local conditions and familiarise themselves with local laws and regulations, as the authorities have reportedly acted swiftly in similar cases.