Two people were killed and others injured in Lqliaa, near Agadir, when security forces used firearms to prevent a group of individuals from seizing their weapons on Wednesday night, local authorities said, marking a deadly turn in anti-government protests initially rallying for social justice reforms.
The protests, which began Saturday with demands for better education and healthcare, have been organised online by a loosely formed anonymous youth group calling itself “GenZ 212.” The group has mobilised support through TikTok, Instagram, and the gaming app Discord. Membership in its Discord server surged from about 3,000 last week to more than 130,000 today, reflecting its rapid growth.
Local authorities said security forces used firearms in self-defence after tear gas failed to stop protesters storming a gendarmerie facility. Armed with knives, the group set fire to part of the building and a vehicle, forcing security forces to respond with live ammunition. Officials did not specify how many were injured.
Authorities initially attempted to quell the rallies, but the demonstrations escalated into widespread unrest on Tuesday night. Reuters images showed security forces encircling protesters and forcefully hauling them into vans. The Interior Ministry reported 263 security officers and 23 civilians injured during Tuesday’s clashes.
On Wednesday night, violence spread to Salé, near Rabat, where groups of young men hurled stones at police, looted shops, set banks ablaze, and torched police vehicles, according to witnesses. In Tangier, youths threw stones at security forces. Smaller towns in the Souss region saw some of the most intense unrest for a second consecutive night. In Sidi Bibi, masked youths burned the commune headquarters and blocked a main road, resident Hassan Berkouz said. 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.
Morocco’s tourist hub Marrakech also witnessed violent clashes as protesters set fire to a police station, according to local media LeDesk. The recent wave of youth anger was triggered 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, where protesters called for Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch to resign and chanted slogans such as “The people want an end to corruption.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
Follow us on:
