(Minutes Read)
Pointing to new stadiums under construction or renovation across the country, protesters chant ‘The stadiums are here, where are the hospitals?’. They accuse authorities of prioritizing spending on World Cup preparations over health and education. The recent deaths of eight women in public hospital in Agadir have become a rallying cry against the decline of Morocco’s health system.
The Moroccan government says it’s ready to address grievances fueling the youth-led protests that have engulfed the country for days. The announcement comes a day after three people were killed by security forces as rioters tried to storm a police station.
Speaking to a council of ministers, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said he was ready for “dialogue and debate within institutions and public spaces.” Those taking part in the so-called Gen-Z protests accuse the government of widespread corruption.
Pointing to new stadiums under construction or renovation across the country, protesters chant ‘The stadiums are here, where are the hospitals?’. They accuse authorities of prioritizing spending on World Cup preparations over health and education. The recent deaths of eight women in public hospital in Agadir have become a rallying cry against the decline of Morocco’s health system.
Since they started on Saturday, the protests have escalated and become more destructive, particularly in cities far from where development efforts have been concentrated. Local outlets and eye-witness footage show protesters hurling rocks and setting vehicles ablaze in cities and towns in the country’s east and south.
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Protest organizers have called for peaceful demonstrations and blasted the security forces heavy handed tactics. But the protests have escalated and become more destructive, particularly in cities far from where development efforts have been concentrated, including the country’s east and south.
