Morocco Gen Z 212 to resume protests over health education corruption

Generation Z 212 said it will resume nationwide demonstrations on Saturday, calling for improved public healthcare and education, an end to corruption and the release of prisoners of conscience, as Morocco grapples with nearly three weeks of youth-led unrest that has left three people dead and prompted mass arrests. The movement, which organizes primarily online and does not disclose members’ identities, posted a statement on its Discord channel urging “peaceful protest gatherings in most cities of the kingdom” and asking citizens to join a parallel product boycott campaign.

The fresh call follows a brief suspension of nightly protests ahead of King Mohammed VI’s annual address. Demonstrations began in late September after the deaths of several pregnant women at a public hospital in Agadir triggered public anger over the condition of health services. Dozens to hundreds of mostly young people have taken to streets in cities including Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Marrakesh, Agadir, Oujda and Salé. Authorities initially banned the gatherings and later permitted them; some nights have seen clashes between protesters and security forces.

The scale of detentions and prosecutions...