Moroccan authorities have arrested more than 400 people during violent protests demanding reforms in the public health and education sectors, the Ministry of Interior says.
A fifth night of youth protests was under way on Wednesday in cities across the North African country, but authorities said the fourth night had turned more violent than before. They reported 263 members of the security forces and 23 civilians were injured as demonstrators torched cars and ransacked shops.
The demonstrations have been organised online by a loosely formed, anonymous youth group calling itself GenZ 212, using platforms including TikTok, Instagram and the gaming application Discord.
On Tuesday night, young men brandished knives and threw Molotov cocktails and stones, an Interior Ministry spokesperson said in a statement. He said 409 people were taken into police custody.
Administrative buildings, banks and shops were looted or vandalised in the Souss region cities of Ait Amira, Inezgane, Agadir and Tiznit as well as the eastern city of Oujda, he said.
Videos circulating on social media and verified by Al Jazeera showed damaged ATM machines and a bank building that appeared to have been looted with broken glass scattered across the ground.
In posts discussing the protests, the GenZ 212 group said it rejected violence and was committed to continuing peaceful protests. It said it had no argument with security forces, only with the government.
The Interior Ministry statement said 142 vehicles belonging to the security forces and 20 private cars had been set on fire.
Peaceful protests over economic and social conditions have been recurrent in Morocco, but this week’s demonstrations are the most violent since at least 2016 and 2017 when protesters clashed with security forces in the Rif region in the north.
The Interior Ministry will uphold the right to protest in accordance with legal procedures and will respond with “restraint and self-control, avoiding provocation”, the spokesperson said.
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