By DEMIR KASAPOGLU

In another spontaneous movement following the examples of Nepal, Indonesia and others, Moroccan youth have taken to the streets over allegations of corruption against their government. 

For a week, Moroccan youth have been protesting against their government for corruption at the public’s expense. The protestors cite years of economic hardship, corruption, inaccessibility of healthcare and underfunded education, the final straw for protests was the government’s preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

For years tax money has been funneled through corrupt channels, taking funding away from public services such as hospitals. When asked about the corruption, a former Moroccan foreign exchange student at Beloit said, “The corruption in the health sector starts from the security officer to the nurse…you can pay crazy amounts before even reaching the doctor.”

For years the government has been preparing for the upcoming FIFA world cup, spending almost $5 billion in tournament-related infrastructure such as stadiums. Among the slogans used by protestors, “Stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals” has become one of the most comprehensive.

The protestors are led by a group of anonymous youth, calling themselves GenZ 212. GenZ 212, 212 being the country code for Moroccan phone numbers, claims the protestors are in the streets to protest the government, not the state. In a statement, the group stated the protestors are motivated by a “love for the country and the King.” This sentiment was mentioned by the same student, they said, “these protests have nothing to do with the king, with overthrowing the monarchy or something…they have no problem with the king. It’s the government.”

The protests started peacefully on the night of Sept. 27 in major cities like the capital Rabat, Casablanca, Tangiers and more. They remained peaceful until the night of Sept. 29 when protestors began to burn cars and vandalize property.

Security forces cracked down harshly. Over 1,000 people have been arrested, on Wednesday, Oct 1, security forces opened fire onto a crowd of protestors, killing three. The official reasoning for the shooting was that protestors were reaching for police weaponry, although no witnesses have come forward to corroborate this story. 

Another former Moroccan foreign exchange student stated that, “I think this is the most serious wave of unrest the country is facing since the Arab Spring.” At the time of writing, it is not clear how the government, and more importantly the king, will respond to these protests. Protestors continue to call on the king to dissolve the government and for fresh elections to be held as soon as possible. 

One thing is certain, with more and more youth-led protests across the globe, from East Asia to the Middle East to Western Europe, the youth of today are fed up with corrupt administrations who are destroying their future.

Featured image: AP