Moroccan Youth Protests Escalate
Youth-led protests in Morocco, calling for improved education and healthcare, turned violent on Tuesday evening, marking the fourth day of demonstrations in various cities.
These protests were organized online by a loosely connected, anonymous youth group known as “GenZ 212,” utilizing platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and the gaming app Discord.
In the southern cities of Tiznit, Inzegane, and Ait Amira, as well as in Oujda to the east and Temara near the capital Rabat, hundreds of young protesters clashed with security forces, throwing stones as they tried to break up the gatherings, according to local media and eyewitness accounts.
Youth-led protests in Morocco, calling for improved education and healthcare, turned violent on Tuesday evening, marking the fourth day of demonstrations in various cities.
These protests were organized online by a loosely connected, anonymous youth group known as “GenZ 212,” utilizing platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and the gaming app Discord.
In the southern cities of Tiznit, Inzegane, and Ait Amira, as well as in Oujda to the east and Temara near the capital Rabat, hundreds of young protesters clashed with security forces, throwing stones as they tried to break up the gatherings, according to local media and eyewitness accounts.
Protesters briefly chanted slogans, including “The people want an end to corruption,” they said.
In Oujda, a protester suffered serious injuries after he was hit by a security forces’ car, state news agency MAP reported.
In Rabat, police arrested dozens of young people as they attempted to begin chanting slogans in a densely populated neighbourhood, a Reuters witness reported.
The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) said 37 youths were on bail, pending an investigation.
Hakim Saikuk, head of the AMDH section in Rabat, condemned the arrests as unconstitutional.
In Casablanca, 24 protesters who blocked a highway on Sunday were under judicial investigation, according to the public prosecutor.
The government coalition issued a statement on Tuesday expressing willingness to engage in dialogue with youth “within institutions and public spaces to find realistic solutions”.
It also praised what it called “the balanced reaction of security authorities in line with relevant legal procedures”.
The interior ministry was not immediately available to comment on the incidents.
Moroccan Youth Protests Escalate
