By Ahmed Eljechtimi
RABAT (Reuters) -Masked youths clashed with security forces and vandalized property in several Moroccan cities on Wednesday night, as anti-government protests initially rallying for social justice reforms entered their fifth consecutive day.
The protests, which began Saturday with demands for better education and healthcare, have been organized online by a loosely formed, anonymous youth group calling itself “GenZ 212.” The group has used platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and the gaming app Discord to mobilize support.
Morocco’s unemployment rate stands at 12.8%, with youth unemployment reaching 35.8% and 19% among graduates, according to the national statistics agency.
The GenZ 212 movement is inspired by similar youth-led protests in Asia and Latin America. Membership in GenZ 212’s Discord server surged from around 3,000 last week to more than 130,000 today, reflecting the rapid growth of the youth-led protest movement.
Authorities initially responded with attempts to squash the rallies, but the demonstrations escalated into widespread unrest on Tuesday night. Reuters images showed security forces encircling protesters forcefully hauling them into vans.
The Interior Ministry said 263 members of security forces and 23 civilians were injured during Tuesday’s clashes.
WAVE OF YOUTH ANGER
On Wednesday night, violence spread to Salé, near the capital Rabat, where groups of young men in densely populated neighborhoods hurled stones at police, looted shops, set banks ablaze, and torched police vehicles, according to witnesses.
In Tangier, on the Strait of Gibraltar, young men threw stones at security forces.
Smaller towns in the Souss region near Agadir saw for the second consecutive night some of the most intense unrest. In Sidi Bibi, masked youths burned the commune headquarters and blocked a main road, said local resident Hassan Berkouz.
South of Agadir in Biougra, a bank was ransacked and shops damaged.
“I was in the cafe watching PSG vs Real Madrid match when young men started hurling stones at shops. We watched the game still inside the closed cafe,” Abdeslam Chegri, a local civil society activist, said.
The recent wave of youth anger was sparked by earlier protests in Agadir over poor hospital conditions, which quickly spread to other cities.
In Taroudant, usually a quiet town east of Agadir, demonstrators clashed with security forces, attacked shops and burned cars.
By contrast, peaceful demonstrations were held in Casablanca, Morocco’s economic capital, and in the eastern cities of Oujda and Taza.
Protesters there called for Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch to resign and chanted slogans such as “The people want an end to corruption.”
While Morocco has seen recurring peaceful protests over economic and social grievances, this week’s unrest is the most violent since the 2016–2017 demonstrations in the northern Rif region.
Earlier in the day, the Interior Ministry said it would uphold the right to protest within legal boundaries and pledged to respond with “restraint and self-control, avoiding provocation.”
On Tuesday, in posts on social media sites discussing the protests, the “GenZ 212” group said it rejected violence and was committed to continuing peaceful protests. It said it had no conflict with the security forces, only with the government.
So far, 409 people have been taken into police custody following the unrest and 193 will face trial – mostly on bail – on charges including arson, ransacking, attacking security forces, according to the prosecutor.
(Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
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