Moroccan Gen Z protests enter second week

• Youth-led “Generation Z 212” protests enter second week in Morocco
• Demonstrations continue across major cities amid calls for dialogue and reform

Youth-led protests organized by the movement “Generation Z 212” in Morocco entered their second week on Sunday, amid renewed government calls for dialogue and ongoing demonstrations in several major cities.

Moroccan Minister of Youth and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, reiterated the government’s invitation to engage with protesters, acknowledging that the challenges facing the health and education sectors are “inherited from previous administrations.”

The calls for dialogue coincided with demonstrations on Saturday in cities including Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, and Tetouan, where participants chanted slogans demanding anti-corruption measures, job opportunities, and improved public services.

The movement, which has over 180,000 members on the Discord platform, emphasizes the peaceful nature of its protests and rejects any acts of violence or vandalism.

Protest-related casualties

Moroccan authorities reported that three people were killed on Wednesday night when gendarmerie forces opened fire as they attempted to storm a security center in the village of Qlaiaa near Agadir, reportedly aiming to seize weapons, according to official statements.

The Ministry of Interior also reported that more than 350 people were injured during a week of protests, most of them security personnel.

Origins of the protest

The movement’s name combines “Generation Z” (late 1990s to early 2000s births) with Morocco’s international dialing code (212). The unprecedented wave of protests began earlier last week.

The core of the movement was formed on Discord, following local protests in Agadir in mid-September, sparked by the death of eight pregnant women in a public hospital during cesarean procedures, an incident that ignited widespread public anger over the country’s deteriorating healthcare services.