Mass protests in Morocco entered a sixth day on Friday, with the youth-led movement GenZ 212 demanding that the government be removed. The group said the authorities had failed to protect citizens’ constitutional rights and respond to basic social needs.
Three people have died since the demonstrations began. Hundreds have been arrested and nearly 300 people – mostly members of the security forces – have been injured in clashes and scuffles, the interior ministry said.
It added that 80 public and private buildings and hundreds of cars had been vandalised.
GenZ 212 also called for the release of all those detained in connection with what it described as peaceful protests.
The group, whose main organisers remain unknown, said its demand for the government’s dismissal was based on a constitutional article that gives the king the power to appoint and dismiss the prime minister and cabinet.
Morocco rocked by fourth day of Gen Z-led protests over public services
Social inequality
The rallies have been driven by anger over social inequality and failing public services. Protests swelled after reports last month of the deaths of eight pregnant women at a public hospital in the southern city of Agadir.
“Moroccan youth are taking to the streets to call for functioning hospitals, quality schools and decent jobs. They’re rejecting billions being spent on stadiums for the World Cup, while basic services are collapsing," Tahani Brahma, a researcher and secretary general of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, told RFI.
Most importantly, Moroccan youth do not want promises, they want their rights.”
Morocco was chosen last October, along with Portugal and Spain, to host the 2030 centenary edition of the World Cup. Six venues will be in Morocco, three in Portugal and 11 in Spain.
Spending on new stadiums and refurbishing existing ones for the World Cup and the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations is estimated to exceed €5 billion.
Online forums
GenZ 212 has mainly used the online messaging platform Discord to mobilise protests. It has repeatedly said it rejects the violence and vandalism reported in several towns and cities.
Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, head of the National Rally of Independents, chaired a meeting on Tuesday attended by coalition partners Fatima Zahra Mansouri, Mohamed Mahdi Bensaid and Nizar Baraka.
“After reviewing the developments linked to youth expressions in online and public spaces, the government affirms that it listens carefully to and understands the social demands,” the politicians said in a communique.
"We are ready to respond positively and responsibly through dialogue and discussion within institutions and public forums, and by finding realistic, implementable solutions that serve the interests of the nation and citizens.”
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Reforms underway
Health Minister Amine Tehraoui on Wednesday told parliament several reforms were underway, but acknowledged that they were still insufficient to close the gaps in the sector.
Since the demonstrations started, hundreds of mostly young people have been arrested.
The interior ministry said more than 400 people had been arrested since the demonstrations began, most of them young.
A spokesperson added that 80 public and private buildings as well as hundreds of cars had been vandalised.
