“Violent Protests Grip Morocco: 400 Arrested, 300 Injured”

More than 400 individuals were apprehended and close to 300 were wounded in Morocco amid demonstrations advocating for improvements in the public health and education domains, as reported by the interior ministry on Wednesday. Unauthorized protests were organized for the fourth consecutive day by the GenZ 212 collective, a recently established group on the Discord platform whose leaders are unidentified. The most recent protests on Tuesday evening escalated into violence in various cities including Oujda and Inzegane. Ministry spokesperson Rachid El Khalfi mentioned that the clashes involved demonstrators utilizing knives, Molotov cocktails, and stones. A total of 263 police officers sustained injuries of varying severity, alongside 23 protesters, with one individual hospitalized in Oujda. El Khalfi disclosed that 409 individuals were taken into custody following the unrest, during which over 140 police vehicles and 20 private cars were set on fire. “Protesters also breached government premises, bank branches, and stores, engaging in looting and vandalism,” particularly in Inzegane and Oujda, he stated. Tense confrontations lasting several hours along a primary thoroughfare in Inzegane were captured in AFP footage. Videos circulating in Moroccan media, which AFP could not independently verify, depicted hooded individuals hurling rocks at law enforcement and igniting fires in bins and areas near a shopping complex. In Rabat, a group of 97 people, including three in custody, were decided by prosecutors on Wednesday to undergo trial, as per their attorney, Souad Brahma. Another 26 individuals were released without charges, with no trial date set as of yet. Brahma noted that prosecutors had previously announced that an initial group of 37 individuals, including three in custody, would stand trial on Tuesday. Protests are anticipated to continue for a fifth straight day on Wednesday evening in approximately 10 cities. GenZ 212, which expressed “regret” over the violence on Tuesday, characterizes itself as a “platform for dialogue” concentrating on issues impacting all citizens, such as health, education, and anti-corruption efforts. Social inequality persists as a significant concern in Morocco, marked by pronounced regional variations and a notable divide between the public and private sectors.