Youth-led protests in Morocco push for reforms ahead of king’s speech

Young Moroccan protesters have taken to the streets again in the hope of persuading King Mohammed VI to fire Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch and deliver long-promised reforms to ailing public services.

The leaderless Gen Z 212 collective staged anticorruption protests in Tangiers, Casablanca and in the capital, Rabat, on Thursday in a final display of strength before the king’s address to parliament scheduled for later on Friday.

“We no longer have confidence in the government. We’re waiting for the king to talk to us, he has to save his people,” Raghd, a 23-year-old engineer who did not want to give his last name, told the AFP news agency at a protest in the capital, Rabat.

The protests erupted last month after eight pregnant women died at a hospital in Agadir and have targeted issues like Morocco’s lavish spending on infrastructure, such as stadiums for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, amid the neglect of facilities for healthcare and education.

Gen Z 212 has been organising the nationwide protests, which have so far seen at least three people killed in clashes with security forces, on social media platforms like TikTok and Discord, where it now has more than 200,000 followers.

Ahead of Thursday evening’s demonstrations, government spokesperson Mustapha Baitas made new calls for dialogue with Gen Z 212. “The message has been received,” he was quoted by AFP as saying. He stressed that the authorities were “accelerating projects”, particularly in healthcare.

Last week, Gen Z 212 published a public letter to the king, asking him to dismiss the government and corrupt political parties, release political detainees and convene a national forum to bring corruption to account.

“We, the youth of Morocco, are requesting your majesty to intervene for a profound and just reform that restores rights and punish the corrupt,” the group wrote in the letter.

Since 27 September, security forces have arrested hundreds of participants in clashes that rights groups have criticised as heavy-handed.