Morocco’s protest movement calls on the king to dissolve the government

The Moroccan youth group GenZ 212 has called for the government's resignation following a sixth consecutive day of protests for better public services and an end to corruption in the North African kingdom.

The protests, which organisers want to be peaceful, were marked by police repression followed by violence and vandalism on Tuesday and Wednesday, which led to the killing of three people by police.

GenZ 212 issued a new call for protests on Thursday, reiterating its rejection of “all forms of violence, vandalism or rioting" and urging protesters "to respect the peaceful nature" of the movement, while demanding the "release of all those detained in connection with the peaceful protests".

Mobilisations in Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, and Agadir took place without incident, according to local press.

Afterward, GenZ 212 released a statement addressed to King Mohammed VI, calling for the dismissal of the government.

"We demand the dissolution of the current government for its failure to protect the constitutional rights of Moroccans and respond to their social demands," the group said.

It also called for the launch of a "fair judicial process" to prosecute those responsible for corruption.

Earlier, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch expressed the government's willingness to "respond to the social demands" of the young demonstrators and its "readiness for dialogue".

On Wednesday in parliament, Health Minister Amine Tehraoui acknowledged that despite several health reforms, "achievements [...] remain insufficient". The day before, Housing Minister Fatima Zahra Mansouri had also admitted the government’s failures.

"We failed. If we had succeeded, we wouldn't be hearing these voices today in the streets and on social media, and this anger wouldn't persist," she said at a meeting of her political group, the Authenticity and Modernity Party.

‘Completely lost faith’ 

The recently formed GenZ 212 group, whose founders are unknown, presents itself as a "space for discussion" on "issues that concern all citizens, such as health, education and the fight against corruption". It says it acts out of "love for the country and the King".

The social movement emerged in response to years of perceived neglect of public services in a country marked by severe social and territorial inequalities, high unemployment rates and persistent corruption.

GenZ 212, whose name refers to Morocco’s telephone code and recent youth-led social justice protests worldwide, issued its first call for mobilisation on Saturday.

What is GenZ 212, the group behind the protests in Morocco?

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After repressing the demonstrations with hundreds of arrests and failing to communicate on the issue, the government finally broke its silence on Tuesday with a statement saying that it was ready to respond to the protesters' social demands "in a positive and responsible manner".

It also authorised, for the first time, the movement’s demonstrations. 

Gradually, slogans calling for social reforms, such as "The people want health and education" or "We want hospitals, not just stadiums" - in reference to the colossal sums spent on hosting the 2030 World Cup - were joined by calls for the prime minister's resignation.

Faced with a government dominated by businessmen seen as emblematic of the country’s inequalities, including Akhannouch himself, GenZ 212 spoke on Thursday of an "entire generation exhausted by years of waiting and consumed by frustration" which has "almost completely lost faith in successive governments" as a result “of a long accumulation of broken promises".

On Wednesday, a security source quoted by the French monthly Jeune Afrique accused the government of failing to “take its responsibility” and to “leave [them] alone on the front lines facing the streets”.

“The bare minimum would be for the health and education ministers to be dismissed," the source said.

"Reforming health and education will take years,” a Casablanca businessman also told Le Monde. “Dismissing Akhannouch is the only lever the palace has to immediately respond to the protesters' demands."

GenZ 212, which already boasts 150,000 members on its Discord page, claims to be apolitical and denies any affiliation with parties or unions, which limits the authorities’ room for manoeuvre to end the movement.