Youth-led protests demanding better education and healthcare in Morocco escalated into violent clashes with security forces on Tuesday evening, marking the fourth consecutive day of demonstrations across several cities.
The protests were organised online by a loosely formed, anonymous youth group calling itself "GenZ 212," using platforms including TikTok, Instagram and the gaming application Discord.
In the southern cities of Tiznit, Inzegane, and Ait Amira, as well as the eastern city of Oujda, and Temara near the capital Rabat, hundreds of young protesters hurled stones at security forces attempting to disperse the gatherings, according to local media reports and witness accounts.
In Ait Amira, 560 km (350 miles) south of Rabat, demonstrators overturned and damaged several law enforcement vehicles and burned down a bank, footage shared by local media outlets showed.
In Inzegane, videos circulating on social media showed masked protesters setting fire to a bank, while others clashed with police who deployed water cannons.
Some cars were torched, and a group of protesters attempted to storm into a main supermarket, according to witnesses and videos shared online.
Further south in Tiznit, dozens of protesters threw stones at law enforcement officers as they tried to break up the rally, witnesses told Reuters.
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.
U.S. President Donald Trump has linked his push to take control of Greenland to his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize, as tensions with Europe esca...
France is expected to decline a U.S. invitation to join a proposed international ‘Board of Peace’ on Gaza, with sources close to President Emmanue...
The Trump administration has invited Russia and Belarus to join a proposed Gaza ‘Board of Peace’, officials in both countries confirmed on Monday....
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has accepted an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump to become a founding member of the U.S.-led Board of Peace, w...
The death toll from a devastating fire at a shopping centre in Karachi has climbed to 26, with dozens of people still missing as rescue efforts contin...
U.S. President Donald Trump has linked his push to take control of Greenland to his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize, as tensions with Europe escalate and the European Union considers retaliatory measures that could reignite a transatlantic trade war.
France is expected to decline a U.S. invitation to join a proposed international ‘Board of Peace’ on Gaza, with sources close to President Emmanuel Macron saying Paris is not prepared, at this stage, to give a favourable response.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has accepted an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump to become a founding member of the U.S.-led Board of Peace, while France has declined to take part, citing concerns over the body’s mandate.
The death toll from a devastating fire at a shopping centre in Karachi has climbed to 26, with dozens of people still missing as rescue efforts continue, according to local media.
Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani has died at the age of 93, his foundation said on Monday.
European leaders voiced growing alarm on Sunday over U.S. threats to impose tariffs on eight NATO allies, warning the move could destabilize transatlantic relations and heighten tensions in the Arctic.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has signed a decree recognising Kurdish language rights, as government forces advanced against U.S.-backed Kurdish-led fighters despite U.S. calls for restraint.
Speaking on Armenian public radio on 9 January, Armenia’s Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan made some important announcements for 2026. Among them, discussions between Yerevan and Baku over the range of products Armenia can potentially export to Azerbaijan.
Five skiers were killed in a pair of avalanches in Austria’s western Alpine regions on Saturday, with two others injured, one critically.
More than 100 vehicles were involved in a massive pileup on Interstate 96 in western Michigan on Monday (19 January), forcing the highway to shut in both directions amid severe winter weather.
U.S. President Donald Trump has linked his push to take control of Greenland to his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize, as tensions with Europe escalate and the European Union considers retaliatory measures that could reignite a transatlantic trade war.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has accepted an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump to become a founding member of the U.S.-led Board of Peace, while France has declined to take part, citing concerns over the body’s mandate.
The death toll from a devastating fire at a shopping centre in Karachi has climbed to 26, with dozens of people still missing as rescue efforts continue, according to local media.
France is expected to decline a U.S. invitation to join a proposed international ‘Board of Peace’ on Gaza, with sources close to President Emmanuel Macron saying Paris is not prepared, at this stage, to give a favourable response.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment