At least two people have been killed in Morocco after police opened fire to stop protesters from forcing their way into a police station in Lqliaa, a town near the coastal city of Agadir, according to state media.
These are the first reported deaths since large youth-led demonstrations broke out across the country over the weekend.
The protests, largely driven by young people, erupted on Saturday in response to the government’s decision to invest in new football stadiums for the 2030 FIFA World Cup instead of improving basic public services and addressing the economic crisis.
“Stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?” has become one of the most common chants among the protesters.
One demonstrator from Oujda, near the Algerian border, told BBC Newsday that the local hospital was like a “jail”. He described the facility as dirty, saying patients had to pay bribes to security guards and nurses to receive medical attention. The protester spoke anonymously out of fear of reprisals.
Authorities said the deadly confrontation happened on Wednesday night in Lqliaa, where police claimed they were acting “in legitimate self-defence” after demonstrators allegedly attempted to storm the station. Earlier that day, the interior ministry had said that the right to protest within the law would be respected.
The GenZ 212 movement, named after Morocco’s international dialling code, has distanced itself from any acts of violence. The group has no formal leadership structure and has mainly mobilised through social media platforms.
The protests have spread to several major cities including Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, and Marrakesh. In Marrakesh, local media reported that protesters burned down a police station.
Interior ministry spokesperson Rachid El Khalfi said 409 people had been arrested across the country in connection with the unrest. He added that more than 260 police officers and 20 protesters were injured, and that 40 police vehicles and 20 private cars had been set ablaze.
Official figures indicate that Morocco’s overall unemployment rate is 12.8%, while youth unemployment stands at 35.8% and 19% among graduates, according to Reuters.
The demonstrations in Morocco follow similar youth-led uprisings witnessed this year in Nepal, Indonesia, the Philippines and Madagascar. In Nepal, the protests forced the prime minister to resign, while Madagascar’s president dissolved his government earlier this week in a bid to calm public anger.
On Tuesday, Morocco’s ruling coalition said it was ready to engage in talks with the youth “within institutions and public spaces to find realistic solutions”. It also commended what it described as “the balanced reaction of security authorities in line with relevant legal procedures”.