Morocco: Over 400 detained, 300 injured after ‘Gen Z’ protests

Morocco’s Ministry of Interior announced on Wednesday that around 300 people, most of them members of the security forces, were injured during clashes in several cities. The ministry also said that 409 demonstrators were placed in police custody after the fourth day of protests called by the youth movement Gen Z 212.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Rachid El Khalfi, said some of the protests “showed dangerous escalation that threatened public safety and order, after turning into violent gatherings where some individuals used knives, petrol bombs, and threw stones.”

According to him, by Tuesday night “263 members of the security forces had suffered injuries of varying severity, while 23 other people were also injured, including one case requiring medical follow-up.”

A total of 409 people were taken into custody, while others were released after their identities were checked, though the ministry did not specify the number released.

Since Saturday, authorities have been preventing activists from the movement, whose organisers remain anonymous, from demonstrating on the grounds that the group is unlicensed. Previous bans had not led to clashes.

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