Hanan Harat

Morocco - Since September 27, Moroccan cities have witnessed a surge of protests led by Generation Z212, a tech-savvy generation driven by social and economic demands for justice, equality, and employment.

The demonstrations began peacefully but were soon dispersed by security forces, citing the lack of legal authorization. Several participants were detained. Later, infiltrators reportedly committed acts of vandalism — looting private property, setting fire to a pharmacy, and attempting to storm a gendarmerie post — which heightened tensions in the streets.

 

The movement quickly spread to cities like Agadir, Tetouan, Marrakech, Kenitra, and Safi. While the scope of the protests widened to include criticism of government policies, most participants remained peaceful and disciplined.

 

The arrests of nonviolent demonstrators drew widespread criticism, prompting the government to express its understanding of the youth’s frustrations and to promise dialogue and reform in response to growing social discontent.

 

By early October, the protests had regained their peaceful tone, with demonstrators gathering daily from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., just as the nation awaited the upcoming parliamentary session — to be opened by King Mohammed VI — which many expect to outline the next political phase.

 

“Despair over social justice has become the real fuel of protest”

Commenting on the events, left-wing political activist Kabira Chater told our agency that young women’s participation was “remarkable and prominent.” She emphasized that their demands centered on core social issues — “the pillars of any government” — such as employment, healthcare, and education. These social demands, she noted, soon evolved into political slogans, including calls for the Prime Minister’s resignation.

“These are legitimate demands,” Chater said, “given the painful reality faced by Moroccan youth: crumbling public hospitals, lack of medical equipment, and soaring school dropout rates.”

She argued that “job creation cannot be achieved through slogans alone, but through supporting small enterprises, easing access to financing, reducing taxes, and expanding vocational training for young people.” For her, “despair over social justice has become the real fuel of the protests.”

Chater described the movement as a consequence of a “political vacuum created by successive governments that sidelined leftist parties, leaving decision-making in the hands of administrative elites.” This, she added, “has resulted in policies that are subordinate and detached from the real needs of society, creating a deep rift between the state and its youth.”

She also criticized the hypocrisy of conservative voices advocating for child marriage “while sending their own daughters to the finest universities,” calling such discourse “provocative” and a trigger for young women’s calls for equality and social justice.

 

A structural problem rooted in public policy

Chater condemned the arrests of peaceful protesters, insisting on distinguishing between demonstrators and vandals: “Those who committed acts of violence must be held accountable, but peaceful voices must never be punished.”

She warned that repression alone would not silence this generation, arguing that “the crisis is structural - rooted in public policy failures. Selective justice erodes trust in government and deepens feelings of injustice.”

Recalling Morocco’s turbulent history — from the 1965 and 1981 uprisings to the 2017 Rif protests — Chater stressed that “violence never produces solutions; it only fuels resentment and public anger.”

 

Morocco at a crossroads

As for possible solutions, Chater called for a royal initiative to calm tensions and restore trust between citizens and authorities. She suggested that dismissing the current government and holding early elections could be a realistic way to defuse the crisis.

She urged all national institutions — economic and administrative alike — to adopt urgent social measures in education, healthcare, and employment. “Integrating youth into training and work programs,” she said, “is the first step toward genuine national reconciliation.”

Chater warned that Morocco stands “at a historic crossroads: either it chooses the path of dialogue and comprehensive social reform, or it allows tension to grow and threaten social peace.” She added that “releasing peaceful detainees and seriously addressing the demands of youth and women could be the first step toward rebuilding public trust.”

Finally, she cautioned against foreign actors exploiting the unrest to destabilize the country, stressing that the protesters’ demands reflect a real social upheaval, not fleeting slogans.

 

Chater concluded:

“The deep state must now take tangible action — reforming education and healthcare, creating jobs, encouraging investment, and supporting young entrepreneurs. Resorting to violence and arrests will only make matters worse. The cost of early elections,” she said, “is far less than the cost of chaos or repression.”

She noted that Generation Z212 has not targeted the monarchy, but rather expressed respect for it, making royal intervention through dialogue and political correction a potentially crucial step to ease tensions and rebuild trust between the state and its citizens.