Vehicles burn during a gathering of youth-led protests demanding healthcare and education reforms turns violent, in Sale, Morocco, Wednesday. Photo by Jalal Morchidi/EPA
Two people were killed by police in Morocco as protests against the government spread throughout the country by young adults and teens.
The two were killed when police opened fire on protesters in Lqliaa, a southeastern town near Agadir, when protesters tried to storm a police station. They were the first deaths since the protests began Saturday.
The “Gen Z-212” protests are borne out of frustration that the government is spending money on preparation for the 2030 World Cup while hospitals and schools are neglected.
The protesters chanted “Stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?” the BBC reported.
One protester told the BBC that the hospital in his city Oujda, in the north near the Algerian border, was like a jail. They said it was dirty and patients had to bribe security officers and nurses to see a doctor.
Morocco’s unemployment rate is at 12.8%, with the youth unemployment rate at 35.8%, BBC reported.
Morocco is a semi-constitutional Islamic monarchy. It became a constitutional monarchy in 2011.
Major cities in Morocco have also seen protests, including in Casablanca, Marrakech and Tangier, and in its capital, Rabat.
In some places, protesters have burned cars, banks and stores. But Gen-Z-212 denounces the violence.
“The right to health, education and a dignified life is not an empty slogan but a serious demand,” The Independent reported the organizers said.
A police vehicle rammed into protesters in Oujda, leaving one person injured.
Morocco’s Interior Ministry said the demonstrations lacked authorization and were dealt with according to the law, saying that those breaking it would be treated “rigorously and firmly.” It said 409 people were taken into police custody. There were 263 members of law enforcement injured during the nationwide protests, and 142 of their vehicles damaged, it said.
The Moroccan Association for Human Rights in Oujda said there have been more than 1,000 protestors arrested in the city, including many whose arrests were shown on video by local media and some who were arrested by plainclothes officers during live television interviews, The Independent reported.
“With protests scheduled to continue, we urge authorities to engage with the legitimate demands of the youth for their social, economic, and cultural rights and to address their concerns about corruption,” Amnesty International’s regional office said on Tuesday.