Morocco Grapples with Unregulated Car Guards Amid Public Outcry and Safety Concerns

Non-compliance with authorizations, inappropriate behavior with customers, exaggerated rates, assaults, a mafia of space rental, the recent murder of a young man in Fès by a car guard... The behavior of some car guards leaves much to be desired. Many Internet users are fed up and are once again calling for the definitive abolition of the "yellow vest" phenomenon through campaigns launched on Facebook and Twitter such as "Boycott-moul-gilet", or "Noud Arri AlaKtafek" (in other words ironically: "Roll up your sleeves and go find a job").

Specialists do not embrace the idea of definitively abolishing the "yellow vest" phenomenon. According to them, rigorous control of this sector, which operates in absolute anarchy, is necessary. "The management of parking spaces and car parks is governed by Organic Law 113-14 on municipalities, the article 83 of which clearly mentions the municipal prerogatives in this matter," explains Jalal Hakimi, a lawyer at the Casablanca bar, to Le Matin. Under this article, "the municipality creates and manages the public services and facilities necessary for the provision of proximity services in the fields of public transport, including liquid and solid sanitation and vehicle parking," he adds.

According to experts, the proliferation of fake car guards must be addressed. "If some people work legally with authorizations or delegated management contracts, concluded by the Municipalities or Municipal Councils with companies, others are not approved," confirms Saïd El Mouhtadi, general coordinator of the professional associations of car guards in Casablanca. Instead of a possible definitive abolition of the "yellow vests", he believes that the fight should be against those who are not authorized to practice this profession and who continue to inconvenience citizens on a daily basis.

To solve this thorny problem, the experts propose the establishment of regulations with clear and strict texts. They also call on the local authorities to draw inspiration from the experiences of countries that have preceded Morocco in the management of this type of problem, such as Egypt.