Police have shot and killed two people at a youth-led, anti-government protest in Leqliaa. Local authorities in the town, a few hundred kilometers away from the capital Rabat, described the shootings as self-defence. Demonstrators allegedly tried to seize police weapons, although eyewitnesses have yet to confirm this.
The deaths mark the first fatalities since the so-called Gen Z protests began on Saturday, September 27th. Demonstrators have criticised spending on the 2030 FIFA World Cup, while schools and hospitals remain underfunded.
Violence has spread to several cities, with masked youth setting vehicles and buildings on fire, looting, and clashing with police. So far, 409 people have been arrested, 263 police officers injured, and dozens of vehicles and civilians damaged, according to the Interior Ministry.
The Gen Z 212 protest movement has urged participants to remain peaceful, while condemning what it called “repressive security approaches,”—but tensions continue to escalate across the country.
