Rabat, Morocco
AP
–
The anti-government demonstration grabbed Morocco for a fourth consecutive night as young people filled urban towns across the country and destruction and violence broke out in several places.
With billions of investments flowing into preparation for the 2030 World Cup, we promise to revise Morocco’s tense social services.
The young Moroccan clashed with security forces on Tuesday, taking them on streets denounced the miserable conditions of many schools and hospitals. Violence broke out on Tuesday, especially in parts of Morocco, where there is a shortage of jobs and social services, after dozens of peaceful protesters were arrested over the weekend.
“The right to health, education and dignified life is not a slogan of empty, it is a serious demand,” the organizers of the Gen Z 212 protest movement wrote in a statement released on Discord. They pleaded the protesters to remain peaceful and to blow away their “oppressive security approach,” and cited King Mohammed VI.
Still, protests escalated and became more destructive, especially in cities far from where development efforts are concentrated in Morocco. Local outlets and footage, filmed by eyewitnesses, show protesters setting up vehicles by throwing rocks burning vehicles in cities and towns east and south of the country, including Inzegan and Amira. In Oujda, the largest city in eastern Morocco, a police vehicle plunged into a Moroccan demonstrator injured one person, a map from local human rights groups and the state communications agency said.
The Morocco Home Ministry said anonymous and organized protests have no permission, they are treated according to the law, and those found to be violated by the law will be “treated strictly and firmly.” 409 people said they had been taken to police custody. Additionally, 263 law enforcement members were injured during a nationwide protest that damaged 142 vehicles. The ministry said 20 private cars were also damaged and 23 civilians were injured.
The Oujda chapter of the Moroccan Human Rights Association (AMDH) said that among the 37 protesters and six minors arrested on Monday, he would appear in Oujda’s court on Wednesday.
They are one of the hundreds who said AMDH was arrested. Many of them were arrested on video by local media, and others were detained by Plain Cross officials during interviews.
“As the protest continues, authorities will urge them to address the legitimate demands of young people for their social, economic and cultural rights and address concerns about corruption,” the Amnesty International regional office said Tuesday.
The “Gen Z” protest reflects countries that sweep similar unrests, like Nepal and Madagascar. In some of Morocco’s biggest anti-government protests over the years, leaderless movements are using anger towards hospital and school situations to express anger over government spending priorities. Pointing to new stadiums currently under construction or renovation across the country, protesters chanted, “The stadium is here, where is the hospital?” Moreover, the recent deaths of eight women at Agadir public hospitals have become a rally call for the decline in Morocco’s healthcare system.
Born on platforms like Tiktok and Discord, popular among gamers and teenagers, the movement has won additional support since they began arresting authorities over the weekend, including Moroccan star goalkeeper Jassine Benaut and his most famous rapper El Grandetoto.
Officials have refused to prioritize World Cup spending on public infrastructure, saying the issues facing the health sector have been inherited from previous governments. In Moroccan parliament, the governing majority said on Thursday they will discuss the meeting and hospital reforms as part of a meeting led by Prime Minister Aziz Ahannouch.
