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Rabat – This evening, police cut short the Moroccan Youth Voice’s protest, originally scheduled to run September 27-28 nationwide, in major cities including Rabat and Casablanca.
Dressed all in black, young people gathered near Morocco’s parliament, prepared to raise slogans that call for a better social situation for citizens in terms of basic rights: education and healthcare.
However, in Rabat and Casablanca, those calls were cut short. Police holding crowd control shields and batons forced the groups of people to disperse further away, denying them the right to protest.
In Rabat, crowds of youth swarmed the streets, chased by police, while yelling out “freedom, dignity, and social justice,” a slogan from Morocco’s February Movement during the Arab Spring in 2010.
Police confronted multiple protesters, arresting the leaders as well as the demonstrators themselves.
Major crossroads near the Parliament were blocked off by large police vehicles and also bottlenecked by people taking videos of the protesters walking by.
In their original statement, the organizers have already made it clear that the intention of the protest was to be nonviolent, inviting all segments of society to participate, including students, teachers, and doctors.
Their goal is to push for systematic improvement in education and healthcare, which they assert are essential to national development.
Morocco Youth Voice had also published a code of conduct for demonstrators, which includes:
- Peaceful protest only, with zero tolerance for violence or vandalism.
- Respect for citizens and authorities, with emphasis on civility.
- No damage to public or private property, and no dangerous objects allowed.
- Strict adherence to schedules, ensuring discipline and coordination.
- Collaboration with volunteers and organizers, making it a collective effort.
Protesters in Rabat seemingly abided by the guidelines, yet they were still dispersed, with many arrested and the rest going back home with a dream of a better Morocco.
