social media outcry grows over Morocco's arrest of teenagers kissing

THIS photo of a romantic kiss which saw teenagers in Morocco arrested for being a "danger to social order" has created a social media outcry.

"THIS is the kiss. THIS is what the Gov feels is destroying the Nat'l order and social harmony of Morocco." ..

THIS is the photo of a romantic kiss which got a pair of Moroccan teenagers arrested for being a "danger to social order".

Police detained the couple, aged 14 and 15, in the city of Nador last month for "public indecency" after they posted the image taken outside their school on Facebook and it was picked up and printed by a local paper.

According to Al Jazeera, a 16-year-old friend of the couple was also arrested for taking the picture.

The arrests sparked a massive, ongoing debate about personal freedoms under Morocco's authoritarian Muslim regime, spawning an online protest under the hashtag #Nadorkiss and now online hacktivist group Anonymous has rallied behind the couple in support as they prepare to go to court.

On the twitter account #Nadorkiss the authorities were mocked for the arrest: "THIS is the kiss. THIS is what the Gov feels is destroying the Nat'l order and social harmony of Morocco."

Anonymous trying to rally support for the teenagers and the protests against Morocco's laws stated: "A kiss is not a crime."

Dozens of protesters staged a kiss-in to show their solidarity with the teenagers and posted pictures of their own kisses on twitter.

One twitter user posted: '#NadorKiss is not just about the three kids who are facing jail, it is about the right to freedom online in repressive societies.'

Another wrote: 'Does a simple kiss really impose a threat to the National order and social harmony to the extent of arresting the kids involved? #NadorKiss'

The three youngsters are all due in court today for a closed hearing, followed by a sentencing next week, according to AFP.

"Their sentence will be educational at most, in my opinion," Mohamed Abdennabaoui, the criminal affairs and pardons director at Morocco's Justice Ministry, told Al Jazeera.

They are currently being held at a juvenile detention centre for violating public decency.

A sit-in has begun outside the centre to demand their release.