Casablanca Nightlife Faces Curfew: Restaurant Owners Protest 11 PM Shutdown Order

"A senseless decision," fumed Noureddine Haraq in the face of this new measure from the Casablanca City Council. The president of the National Association of Cafe and Restaurant Owners in Morocco (ANPCRM) pointed out that people go out to dinner at 11 pm or midnight. For him, this is a unilateral decision that his association cannot accept, especially since, according to him, there "was no consultation with the professionals" beforehand, reports H24Info.

To justify this measure that is fueling the controversy, the City Council said its approach follows complaints from residents of several neighborhoods in Casablanca, particularly those in Anfa. They, according to the Council, "complain about the noise nuisance caused by the customers of cafes and restaurants, after midnight."

However, the ANPCRM does not intend to apply this decision which, according to its president, was taken on "the basis of an ideological background that has nothing to do with economic logic." Citing the example of tourist countries like Spain, he noted that businesses do not close until the early hours of the morning.

Ultimately, Noureddine Haraq referred the mayor of Casablanca, [Abdelaziz El Omari], to a tangible reality that is detrimental to the city’s residents: the crucial lack of public toilets. A need that is nevertheless notoriously recognized, but which, it seems, does not concern the City Council much. "Apart from cafes and restaurants, citizens, seized by an urgent need, must be patient," said Noureddine Haraq.