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Refusing to let the wave of fanfare surrounding December’s Africa Cup of Nations overshadow their demands, protesters in Morocco urged a boycott of soccer matches in the country’s new stadiums. On Saturday, he reiterated previous demands and called for the release of protesters arrested earlier Gen Z 212 protests.
After an eight-day pause, hundreds of young protesters took to the streets on Saturday in an effort to show they are committed to protesting corruption and poor health care and education.
in many cities including casablanca And Tangier – Hundreds of youth protesters once again expressed anger at elected officials and demanded the removal of Prime Minister Aziz Akhnouch, whom they called corrupt.
The protests, small in number, occurred eight days after King Mohammed VI did not directly address the Gen Z 212 protests in a speech to the Moroccan parliament. He neither touched on their demands for Akhnouch’s dismissal nor the stadiums being built for the 2030 FIFA World Cup. He said that national projects and social programs can move forward together.
Mohammed VI said in his speech, “There should be no contradiction or competition between major national projects and social programs, as both have the same goal: to develop the country and improve the living conditions of citizens.”
On Saturday, protesters again chanted, “The stadium is here, but where are the hospitals?” and unanimously called on Moroccans to “boycott the stadiums”.
the protesters Told the Associated Press that they will boycott the upcoming African Cup of Nations, which Morocco will host in December, in a show of disapproval. Most declined to give their names out of fear of reprisals due to previous arrests at protests.
Angered by the disparities between public and private schools, they raised slogans against politicians who send their children to private schools rather than those maintained by their own governments.
“I have completed school and education, but I am here demanding reforms for the future generations,” said one protester. One protester said he was thrown out of class for failing to get a required textbook.
The protests are led by Gen Z 212, a grassroots movement that organizes demonstrations on social media platforms like Discord, an app popular among gamers and teens, where they now have over 200,000 subscribers. It announced protests in more than a dozen cities on Saturday after a gap of eight days.
Education is central to their demands, particularly policies designed to expand private school enrolment. Since 2000, the number of students enrolled in private universities has increased more than six times, according to government data for 2024.
State audits have documented teacher shortages, regional disparities, and transportation problems, especially in rural areas where government services have long been lacking.
According to government audits, measures taken by the government to reform education have not had the desired impact on improving school quality or student retention.
Politicians have promised to reallocate funds to health care and education to accelerate reforms. At a World Bank meeting in Washington this week, Finance Minister Nadia Feta Alaoui said doing so would be a focus of this year’s government budget.
Morocco’s Gen Z-led protests have drawn inspiration from similar movements in countries like Nepal. After eight women died in childbirth at a public hospital in Agadir, a coastal city 296 miles (477 kilometers) from the capital. RabatThey created a wave of anger which then spread across the country.
Protests turned violent in some cities and small towns earlier this month. Police forces killed three people they said were attempting to attack one of their checkpoints, while several people were injured and officials reported widespread vandalism.
Local media outlets said more than 400 people were arrested across Morocco for vandalism related to the protests, some of them being held in custody pending investigation. And a court in Agadir sentenced 17 defendants to a total of 162 years in prison for the brutality.