The Moroccan police detained dozens of people to quell a ‘Gen Z protest’ that demands an end to social inequalities and asks for reforms in education and health infrastructure.
Police personnel have been deployed in the country’s capital city, Rabat, and the commercial hub, Casablanca, as well as in Agadir, Tangier and Oujda, to prevent groups of young men and women from assembling, they say.
The ongoing protests in Morocco have been fuelled by the Youth Voice and GenZ 212 – loosely formed, anonymous youth networks – who put out the call.
Since the rapid spread of online demands for protests against the government over the weekend, the youth, said the police, defied orders, which then led to the arrest of more than 100 demonstrators on Monday night.
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Young Moroccans took to the streets of at least 11 cities, chanting, “Stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?”
Among the major issues that are being highlighted in the protests is the government’s abject neglect of its population’s health and education even while it is building stadia to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Morocco’s unemployment rate currently stands at 12.8 per cent, with youth unemployment reaching 35.8 per cent and 19 per cent among graduates, according to the national statistics agency.
Additionally, Gen Z protests have swelled across South Asian countries recently, toppling governments in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.
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