In Morocco, at least two people have been killed after police opened fire to prevent protesters from storming a police station in Lqliaa, near the coastal city of Agadir, state media says.
These are the first deaths reported since huge youth-led Gen Z protests broke out across the country on Saturday as anger grew over the government’s decision to build football stadiums for the 2030 Fifa World Cup rather than improving public services and tackling the economic crisis. Organisers of the youth-led protest movement known as GenZ 212 – the number refers to Morocco’s international dialling code have distanced themselves from the violence. They have been rallying mainly through social media, and do not have a formal leadership structure.
Protests have also hit the capital Rabat, the main commercial city Casablanca, tourist hub Marrakech, and the port city of Tangier, often the arrival point for tourists going to Morocco by ferry from Spain. Interior ministry spokesman Rachid El Khalfi said that 409 people have been detained across Morocco following the unrest. More than 260 police officers and 20 protesters have been injured, while 40 police vehicles and 20 private cars have been torched. The uprising follows similar youth-led, large scale demonstrations this summer in Nepal, Indonesia, the Philippines and Madagascar.
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