Morocco\u2019s Gen Z protesters
\n Morocco
\nMorocco is currently building what will be the globe\u2019s largest football stadium in preparation for co-hosting the 2030 World Cup.
\nBut for the demonstrators who have taken to the streets each night across the country since last Saturday, this 115,000-capacity showpiece and all the other football infrastructure in development, costing a reported $5bn (\u00a33.7bn), are an affront – an example of a government that has got its priorities wrong.
\n\u201cI am protesting because I want my country to be better. I don\u2019t want to leave Morocco, and I don\u2019t want to resent my country for choosing to stay,\u201d says Hajar Belhassan, a 25-year-old communications manager from Settat, 80km (50 miles) south of Casablanca.
\nA group called Gen Z 212 – the number is a reference to the country\u2019s international dialling code – has been coordinating the demonstrations through the gaming and streaming platform Discord, as well as TikTok and Instagram.
\nApparently taking inspiration from Nepal\u2019s recent Gen Z protests, the young Moroccans want the authorities to act with the same urgency and passion when it comes to addressing these issues as with hosting one of the world\u2019s premier sporting events.
\nStarting on 27 September with protests across 10 cities, the crowds have been building through the week, chanting slogans such as: \u201cNo World Cup, health comes first\u201d and \u201cWe want hospitals not football stadiums\u201d.
\nThe police have responded with seemingly arbitrary mass arrests and in certain places things have turned violent, leading to the death of three protesters.
\nPrime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said on Thursday that he was open to dialogue, but the leaderless movement has vowed to keep going until there is concrete change.
\nAnger had been growing, but what galvanised the movement was the death over a number of days in mid-September of eight women in a maternity ward of a hospital in the southern city of Agadir. There were some reports that the deaths could have been prevented if there had been better care, proper equipment and enough medical staff.
\nIn 2023, it was estimated that there were 7.8 doctors per 10,000 Moroccans, way below the World Health Organization recommendation of 23 per 10,000.
\nHaving read about the protests on social media and inspired by a friend, Ms Belhassan decided to join on Monday.
\nThe day before, that friend had been sending her videos from a demonstration in Casablanca that she was taking part in and Ms Belhassan was immediately uploading them onto her social media accounts.
\nThen, her friend called to say her brother had been arrested. He was not released until the early hours of the following morning. This, Ms Belhassan says, is what pushed her to go out on to the streets.
\n\u201cWe are making reasonable, basic demands. Health and education are necessities that should already be prioritised,\u201d she tells the BBC in a passionate voice.
\n\u201cIt breaks my heart to see young, educated and peaceful people faced with arbitrary arrests.\u201d
\nWhen Ms Belhassan went out she noticed that the police were trying to stop people gathering and were making arrests.
\nShe says she was scared of making eye contact with officers in case she attracted their attention.
\n\u201cI was afraid for my safety but I still went out,\u201d she says.
\nOn Wednesday, interior ministry spokesman Rachid El Khalfi said that 409 people had been detained up to that point.
\nHe also announced in a press release that 260 police officers and 20 protesters had been injured and 40 police vehicles and 20 private cars were torched in violent clashes.
\nTwenty-three-year-old Hakim (not his real name) was one of those arrested.
\nHe says he went out onto the streets of Casablanca to protest peacefully but ended up in a police cell with around 40 people.
\n\u201cThis government has been abusing their power too much,\u201d Hakim says. \u201cMy father had a stroke a little while ago. If we didn\u2019t have some savings to get him treated in a private hospital he would\u2019ve died. What am I gaining from a country that is not providing healthcare for my ageing parents or educating me?\u201d
\nHe describes the state-funded education system as being \u201cfar behind\u201d what is available in the private sector.
\n\u201cWe deserve a dignified life,\u201d says Hakim. \u201cWe want to host the Fifa World Cup, but we want to do that with our heads up high, not while hiding behind a fa\u00e7ade.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Morocco\u2019s Gen Z protesters Morocco Morocco is currently building what will be the globe\u2019s largest football stadium in preparation for co-hosting the 2030 World Cup. But for the demonstrators who have taken to the streets each night across the country since last Saturday, this 115,000-capacity showpiece and all the other football infrastructure in development, costing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":506815,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-506799","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n