Morocco ‘Gen Z’ protests turn violent
RABAT, Morocco—Antigovernment demonstrators in Morocco filled the streets for a fifth straight night, as protests over the state of public services once again descended into violence and destruction.
The demonstrations, organized by a leaderless movement dominated by internet-savvy youth, have taken the country by surprise and emerged as some of Morocco’s biggest in years. By midweek, they appeared to be spreading to new locations despite a lack of permits from authorities.
Those taking part in the so-called “Gen Z protests” decry what they see as widespread corruption. Through chants and posters, they have contrasted the flow of billions in investment toward preparation for the 2030 World Cup, while many schools and hospitals lack funds and remain in a dire state.
But chants were fewer as violence broke out in several cities on Wednesday evening, following days of mass arrests in more than a dozen cities, particularly in places where jobs are scarce and social services lacking.
Masked youth
In Sale, the poorer city just across the river from Morocco’s capital, an Associated Press (AP) reporter saw hundreds of masked youth—mostly teenagers—torching cars, banks and shops, smashing windows and looting, with no police in sight.
The chaos came despite warnings from authorities, political parties in government and the opposition and the organizers themselves. In a statement published on Discord, the Gen Z 212 protest movement earlier on Wednesday implored protesters to remain peaceful and blasted “repressive security approaches.”
“The right to health, education and a dignified life is not an empty slogan but a serious demand,” the organizers said.
Still, the protests have escalated and become more destructive on Tuesday and Wednesday, particularly in cities far from where development efforts have been concentrated in Morocco. Local outlets and footage filmed by witnesses on Tuesday show protesters hurling rocks and setting vehicles ablaze in cities and towns in the country’s east and south, including in Inzegane and Ait Amira.
In Oujda, eastern Morocco’s largest city, a police vehicle that rammed into demonstrators in Morocco left one person injured, local human rights groups and the state news agency MAP said.
