At least three people have been killed in Morocco after security forces opened fire on protesters near the southern city of Agadir, as demonstrations against government spending priorities enter their sixth night.
The deaths, reported in the town of Lqliaa on Wednesday, mark the first fatalities since the youth-led protests erupted across the country on Saturday. Police said they acted in “legitimate self-defence” after demonstrators attempted to storm a police station.
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The unrest has been fuelled by growing anger over billions of dollars being poured into preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host, while public services such as hospitals and schools remain underfunded.
“Stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?” has become the rallying cry of the protesters, many of whom are organised online under the banner of an anonymous youth collective calling itself GenZ 212. Using TikTok, Instagram and even the gaming platform Discord, the group has mobilised thousands of young people across the country.
One protester in Oujda, near the Algerian border, told the BBC that his local hospital felt like a “jail” where patients had to bribe staff just to see a doctor. “It is dirty and humiliating,” he said, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals.
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Despite the escalating violence, GenZ 212 insists it does not condone attacks on security forces. In a statement on Thursday, the group reiterated its commitment to “civilised and responsible” protests, urging demonstrators to remain peaceful.
Still, Morocco’s Interior Ministry said the demonstrations have led to widespread damage across 23 provinces, including vandalised cars, banks and public offices. In Marrakesh, a police station was set ablaze. Officials said more than 400 people have been detained, while 260 police officers and 20 protesters were injured.
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Prime minister Aziz Akhannouch on Thursday signalled that his government was ready for dialogue to ease tensions. Morocco’s governing coalition earlier said it wanted to engage with the youth “within institutions and public spaces to find realistic solutions.”
The protests in Morocco mirror similar youth-led uprisings elsewhere this year. Large demonstrations in Nepal forced the prime minister to resign, while in Madagascar, the president dissolved his government on Monday in a bid to calm discontent.
Analysts say Morocco’s protests are the most violent since the unrest in the Rif region in 2016–2017, when demonstrators clashed with police over economic neglect in the north.
