Rabat — Gen Z has taken to the streets today to voice their demands for education and healthcare reforms.
Around 100 protesters gathered in front of the parliament in Morocco’s capital city of Rabat to reiterate their calls for better services that affect citizens’ well-being.
Demonstrators sported signs and raised slogans as police peacefully monitored the situation.
They chanted slogans like “A room and a kitchen, and water and electricity bills are too expensive,” and “we won’t give up our rights.”
The signs reflected basic demands, like “Where did people’s money go?”
Criticizing the hockey stadium in Rabat, they raised a sign that read, “What do you need, oh naked person, hockey, oh sir,” a Moroccan idiom that symbolizes priorities and misplaced investment.
The GenZ212 movement, which is behind the protests in Morocco, has recently released a statement in which they have reaffirmed their commitment to peaceful protesting and revolved on what they call “a generational demand for justice and accountability.”
After rumors of friction amid the movement, they issued a statement reaffirming its principles of “awareness, unity, and dignity,” following weeks of nationwide demonstrations calling for reforms in education, healthcare, and governance.
The protests that broke out since mid-September have spread in many cities across Morocco, calling for fundamental reforms in the country’s vital sectors. They later derailed, turning into riots in several cities, including Sale and Laqliaa.
The act of violence and riots led to the death of three people in Laqliaa, after rioters reportedly tried to break into the Royal Gendarmerie’s post in the city, which prompted authorities to use live ammunition to stop them.
GenZ212 has long distanced themselves from rioters and acts of vandalism, calling protesters to adopt peaceful behavior when demonstrating.
However, the youth-led movement is still holding tight to its demand for a fundamental reform in the education and healthcare sectors to ensure citizens’ dignity.
