Morocco’s Crackdown on Free Speech Ignites Youth Unrest

According to the lawyer at the Rabat bar, Farouk Mahdaoui, it all started with the purchase of two jerseys of the Atlas Lions by two master’s students in Kénitra, residing in Rabat, last Saturday around 3:30 pm. After the purchase, they went to a printing press where they had two slogans printed on them: "Free Palestine" and "Education and health are a right for all".

The two students were apprehended on Mohammed V Avenue and placed in custody. The owner of the printing press was also arrested. All three were brought before the public prosecutor’s office of the court of first instance of Rabat. They are being prosecuted under arrest for "wearing inciting slogans".

These arrests come in a context marked by social unrest. Indeed, the Moroccan youth collective "Gen Z 212" has been organizing demonstrations in many Moroccan cities since September 27. The origin of these social demonstrations is the death at the public hospital in Agadir of eight pregnant women admitted for caesarean sections.

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. These disturbances are the most important since the Arab Spring demonstrations of 2011, which prompted King Mohammed VI to delegate certain powers to Parliament. They are also the most violent since the 2016 demonstrations in the Rif region.