Morocco's Generation Z 212 movement has announced nationwide sit-ins for Saturday, demanding healthcare, education, and anti-corruption reforms. Image credit: BBC
This follows despite government assurances that the government is ready to negotiate with the movement.
The movement said in a statement posted on social media that the decision was made “following responsible internal discussions and a broad members’ referendum through the Discord platform.” The activists re-declared commitment to peace while expanding protest methods and speeding up their current boycott campaign.
We urge all Moroccans and youth to mobilize en masse for this movement until our demands are fulfilled,” the statement stated.
Growing Discontent Among Youth
Generation Z 212 started in mid-September, after public outrage over the deaths of eight pregnant women who were admitted to have cesarean sections at a state hospital in Agadir. The incident fueled countrywide indignation at crumbling healthcare services, decaying infrastructure, and the government’s lack of accountability.
The group, numbering more than 210,000 on Discord, has since organized nearly daily protests demanding quality education, overall access to healthcare, stronger anti-corruption legislation, and the release of protesters arrested in demonstrations.
While largely peaceful, some nights have featured sporadic brawling and confrontations with security forces that have left three dead and dozens under arrest.
The movement briefly paused activities ahead of King Mohammed VI’s annual address to parliament last Friday. In the speech, the monarch emphasized job creation and improvements in healthcare and education as “national priorities”, but made no mention of the Generation Z 212 protests.
The majority of young Moroccans indicate that their disillusionment arises from a disconnect between what the state cares about and their everyday life. Nearly 36% of Moroccans aged 15–24 are unemployed, and those who hold employment are subject to rising living costs and limited access to good public services.
“If I go to a public hospital, there is nothing,” Casablanca young employee Fadil said. “Private clinics are MAD424.46 (€40) just for consultation, that’s 10% of my salary,” he said to RFI.
Targeting Inequality and Corruption
The growing strength and clout of the movement have also revived controversy regarding economic inequality and Morocco’s business elite’s influence. Demonstrators at recent protests were spotted with placards denouncing Afriquia, a gas company owned by Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch’s family, which Forbes estimates his wealth at $1.5 billion.
Economist Najib Akesbi argues the government’s focus on image projects such as soccer stadiums for prospective soccer tournaments is proof of “a fundamental imbalance” of priorities for spending.
“We are spending a great deal, but on projects that generate neither sufficient growth nor sufficient employment,” Akesbi said. “At the same time, hospitals have no medicines, no simple equipment.”
The scheduled sit-ins will be among the most significant challenges for the Generation Z 212 youth movement as it tries to gain steam back after its short-lived downturn. The government has yet to reveal any official negotiations with Generation Z 212, although officials have repeatedly called on protesters to continue their peaceful protests and negotiate.
With Saturday morning breaking, all eyes are on whether or not Morocco’s youth, disillusioned, will be able to keep their street pressure going, or whether promises by the state of reform will be sufficient to pacify the streets.
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