MOROCCO, 2025 On September 27, 2025, a wave of anti-government protests erupted in Morocco, quickly spreading to more than 11 cities, including Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakesh, Agadir, Tiznit, and Oujda. The demonstrators are mostly young people, organized through social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Discord under the banners of the GenZ 212 movement and Moroccan Youth Voice.
The protesters are outraged by government spending, specifically the billions of dollars allocated from the budget for the planned 2030 World Cup. They argue that this comes at the expense of the population, and a poor country like Morocco cannot afford it. They demand that funds be redirected to address the high youth unemployment rate, which reaches 35.8%, and to improve public healthcare and education.
The government’s response to suppress the protests was swift and forceful. Security forces used tear gas, rubber bullets, and in some cases, live fire. In Lqliaa near Agadir, two protesters were shot dead while attempting to enter a police station. Overall, the protests resulted in 263 injured security personnel, 23 civilian injuries, and the two mentioned deaths. More than 400 people were detained, with 193 charged.
The GenZ 212 movement has distanced itself from the violence. They emphasized that the protests are against the government, not security forces, but also highlighted that the government’s actions violate their right to freedom of speech.
READ MORE:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/1/morocco-arrests-hundreds-of-protesters-as-rallies-turn-violent
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/01/world/morocco-youth-protest-world-cup-spending-latam-intl
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Moroccan_Gen_Z_protests
