Amsterdam Rally Ignites Global Support for Moroccan Youth Movement

At the call of Voix de la Jeunesse Marocaine, a youth organization that advocates for equality and rights, around fifty peaceful protesters gathered in front of the Moroccan consulate in Amsterdam in solidarity with the GenZ212 movement. According to the information and videos shared with Morocco World News (MWN) by independent journalist Soehayla Halouchi, the protesters carried placards and chanted slogans. They demanded social justice and equity. In the Netherlands, Moroccans constitute one of the largest immigrant communities, with an estimated population of around half a million people. In Amsterdam, they are one of the most visible minorities in the city. Dutch-Moroccans are active in politics, the media, entrepreneurship and sports.

A simultaneous demonstration took place in Paris, also organized by the same organization. Protesters of all ages and from all cities demanded an end to police violence against their peers in Moroccan cities. "The people want an end to corruption", "Freedom, dignity, social justice", they chanted. In Belgium, protesters gathered in front of the Moroccan embassy in Brussels on October 3. "It is our duty to support our brothers and sisters who denounce these injustices and demand a dignified life," reads a statement of solidarity from GenZ212 Brussels with the protesters in Morocco. GenZ212 France called for the immediate release of the arrested protesters, the dropping of legal proceedings and the guarantee of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. For its part, GenZ212 Montreal expressed its deep concern about the repression against the peaceful GenZ212 youth movement in Morocco.

Since September 27, "Gen Z 212", representing Moroccan youth born between 1996 and 2010, has been organizing demonstrations in many cities. The demands of this movement mainly concern issues of education, health, employment - youth unemployment has reached 36.7% in 2024, with 492,000 young people aged 15 to 24 without a job - and social justice. The death at the public hospital in Agadir of eight pregnant women admitted for caesarean sections is at the origin of the triggering of these social protests. The unrest has resulted in 3 deaths and 400 injuries across the country. Isolated incidents of looting and arson have been reported in some cities.

According to sociologists, the GenZ 212 generation differs fundamentally from previous generations. They identify several distinctive traits: this generation expects immediate results and has little tolerance for delays. It rejects authority based solely on social position. This generation demands that leaders earn respect through their skills and behavior, they explain.