Morocco’s ‘Gen Z’ activists renew protests

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

Young protesters in Morocco have called for new anti-government demonstrations in ten cities on Saturday to press for jobs, an end to corruption and better public services.

Calls last month by the same youth group named GenZ 212 had sparked the most significant unrest in Morocco in over a decade, with nearly two weeks of nationwide protests.

The movement, which has no named leaders and used social media platforms like TikTok and Discord, had paused its campaign to give King Mohammed VI a chance to respond at the opening of parliament on October 9.

He indirectly acknowledged their grievances in his speech and called on the government to accelerate reforms, but it has not been enough to quell their anger.

The renewed demonstrations signal the deepening economic discontent of young Moroccans, who suffer high unemployment in a country with wide social and economic disparities between classes and regions — tensions inflamed by the government spending billions of dollars on World Cup preparations.

“We have all been feeling the tensions,” said Omar Brouksy, a political scientist and commentator in Rabat, the capital. “There are very strong inequalities, and we have an [elite] which looks down on poorer classes. This has caused a widespread feeling of exclusion which has led to this explosion.”

The youth rallies are the most widespread in Morocco since 2011, when pro-democracy demonstrations erupted as uprisings against autocratic leaders swept across Arab countries. At the time, the king agreed to some constitutional reforms — including choosing the prime minister from the party that wins elections — but he kept control of key decisions.

The events in Morocco follow a wave of other ‘Gen Z’ protests around the world in countries like Kenya, Nepal and Madagascar, where the president was ousted this week.

The protests were initially sparked by the deaths of eight pregnant women in August in a public hospital in Agadir owing to medical neglect. The government pouring billions of dollars into co-hosting the World Cup in 2030, including the construction of the largest stadium in the world, has added to anger.

Many have criticised a “two-speed Morocco”, arguing that the northwestern coastal area including Rabat, Casablanca and Tangier has received massive public investment, while inland and mountain areas have been neglected and public services like health and education remained poor.

Unemployment is high at almost 13 per cent, reaching nearly 38 per cent for the 15-24 age group.

Slogans such as “Healthcare first — we don’t want the World Cup” have been chanted at the protests, at which hundreds were arrested.

Three people were killed at a demonstration on October 1, when police fired at protesters they accused of trying to steal their weapons.

GenZ 212 has demanded measures to tackle corruption. They have also asked the king to sack the government of Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, a billionaire businessman close to the palace.

“Government expenditure does not respond to the needs of the people,” said Najib Akesbi, an economist in Rabat. “For decades they have followed a policy that prioritises appearances. They are obsessed with building the largest stadium or the first high-speed train in Africa when it is beyond the country’s financial and economic ability.”

The government has said hosting the World Cup would provide a 1.7 per cent boost to GDP and create more than 100,000 jobs.

Lahcen Haddad, a member of the finance committee in the Moroccan senate, said the protesters raised real issues about the dysfunctional health system that needed to be addressed, but denied that the government was taking money from the health system to spend on stadiums.

‘‘The World Cup is very important. It’s about tourism. It’s about the image of the country. It’s going to create an economic dynamic and jobs,” Haddad said.

Riccardo Fabiani, north Africa director at the International Crisis Group, described Morocco as “a relative economic success story’’. He said it was one of the few countries in the region experiencing growth and economic improvement.

Morocco has earned praise from the IMF for its fiscal discipline. It has a flourishing tourism sector, while its car industry has drawn billions of dollars in foreign investment and is the biggest automotive supplier to Europe. 

Fabiani pointed, however, to structural constraints which have doomed previous economic reform promises by the monarch. These include the difficulty of removing hurdles to competition that favour already established big economic players, some linked to ruling circles.

“The reforms are too politically difficult,” he said, adding that the king could not go against the oligarchs because he needed them. “Oligarchs have become politicians, so when the Gen Z people talk about corruption it is basically about these conflicts of interest.”