Rabat – As the GenZ212 movement temporarily suspended its demonstrations from Tuesday to Wednesday, a coalition of over 60 Moroccan intellectuals, artists and activists published an open letter to King Mohammed VI.
The letter, released today, comes just two days before King Mohammed VI’s highly anticipated speech marking the opening of the parliamentary year on Friday.
The initiative accompanies a public petition addressed to Moroccan society, urging collective reflection and reform. It marks the latest development in a national wave of youth-led mobilization that has dominated public discourse since September 27, when the GenZ212 protests first took shape.
Youth movement vs government silence
Since its emergence, GenZ212, a collective of more than 185,000 young Moroccans organizing through Discord, has staged peaceful sit-ins across major cities calling for dignity, freedom, social justice and reforms in healthcare and education.
Despite the movement’s nonviolent nature, early protests were met with police intervention, arrests and dispersals. For nearly a week, the government remained largely silent, only responding after nationwide demonstrations persisted.
Ministers and party leaders eventually began issuing statements, though many young protesters dismissed these as insufficient and detached from their realities. The protests continued for ten consecutive days until the collective announced a two-day pause “to reorganize and plan strategically” ahead of the parliamentary opening.
A call for accountability and reform
The open letter, signed by figures such as journalists Ahmed Benchemsi, Yassin Akouh and Omar Radi, and artists like Houda Abouz (Khtek), and Omar Souhaili (Dizzy Dros), urges Morocco’s leadership to take decisive and transparent action.
“The people of Morocco are suffering, and its youth have been crying out in the streets for ten days,” the letter reads. “So far, the response has been repression and hundreds of arrests.”
The signatories refer to violent incidents during the protests that led to at least three deaths, warning that the situation risks “a fatal spiral” unless the state intervenes constructively.
Legitimate demands
According to the authors, the movement’s demands – notably the eradication of corruption – are legitimate and require “a concrete, profound and political response.” They affirm that only such a response “can ease tensions, restore reason and rekindle hope.”
The letter echoes protesters’ repeated calls for the government’s dissolution, stating: “We can only support this demand, which must be carried out through constitutional means. The gravity of the situation calls for a strong gesture of this kind.”
However, the text goes further, arguing that symbolic acts alone will not suffice. “For those who know the true source of executive power in Morocco, even such a gesture would remain symbolic, and symbols alone are not enough,” it says, calling for an overhaul of governance practices and priorities.
Three pillars for renewal
The signatories describe the country’s renewal as resting on three main foundations:
First, the moralization of power through an authentic and effective fight against corruption.
Second, the reevaluation of state priorities, which they believe should be centered on citizens’ essential needs.
Third, the restoration of institutional credibility, which they argue can only be achieved by binding the exercise of authority to real political accountability before the people. “Many of our young people have lost all hope; recent violence demonstrates this,” the letter continues. “To convince them, it will take more than speeches. It will take tangible action.”
Appeal to the monarch
In their closing remarks, the signatories express their belief that only the monarch can steer Morocco toward reconciliation and renewal.
“Our hope is immense that by taking these measures, you open, after twenty-six years of your reign and as a new generation emerges, a path toward true national reconciliation, one that guarantees what our youth have been chanting for ten days: dignity, freedom and social justice.”
They call on the King to offer condolences to the victims’ families and to launch transparent investigations into the protest-related deaths.
They also urge the release of all GenZ212 detainees and political prisoners, including those from the Hirak Rif movement, as well as the guarantee of press freedom and the reform of the penal code to remove barriers to expression. The letter further calls for a genuine constitutional reform process to enshrine democratic sovereignty and separation of powers, along with a national dialogue on economic and social priorities to redirect state resources toward public healthcare and education.
As Morocco awaits Friday’s royal address, the open letter has intensified the political and social debate surrounding the GenZ212 protests.
