Rabat: More than 400 people have been arrested and 280 injured in Morocco, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday, after youth-led protests escalated the day before, as clashes broke out between demonstrators and security forces.
According to Ghana News Agency, the protesters are demanding better healthcare and education, while criticizing government spending ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco is to co-host with Portugal and Spain. The ministry reported that 409 people have been detained after protests in some cities on Tuesday turned into rioting and vandalism, involving the use of knives, molotov cocktails, and stones.
It added that 263 security personnel and 23 protesters have been injured, including one who required medical intervention in the northern city of Oujda. Earlier, the official MAP news agency reported that a young man was injured after he was hit by a security vehicle, adding that he was receiving treatment, and that the injuries are not life-threatening and his condition is stable.
The Interior Ministry said crowds have set fire and damaged 142 security vehicles and 20 private cars. Protesters also stormed several public buildings, banks, and commercial establishments. In Oujda, protesters blocked an ambulance and prevented it from transporting injured people.
Late Tuesday, protesters in different cities hurled rocks and set fires in the streets, to resist attempts by police to disperse crowds across several cities, according to local media. In the southern Ait Amira town, protesters set a security vehicle on fire. Videos published by Hespress showed security forces detaining protesters and placing them in vans.
In several cities, protesters chanted: ‘The people want to bring down corruption.’ The protests began over the weekend, spearheaded by a youth movement calling itself GenZ 212. The group is demanding better services and attacked the government’s plan to spend big sums on large-scale infrastructure spending ahead of the 2030 World Cup.