After Nepal, Madagascar, will Gen Z protests topple another government? THIS Muslim-majority country is facing massive unrest due to…, Gen Z 212 to..
For almost a month, Morocco has experienced anti-government protests mostly led by the youth in over a dozen large cities. Young people joining Generation Z were frustrated by corruption, a lack of job opportunities, and government extravagance. They took to the streets, igniting political unrest throughout the country. The tensions have increased further since the dissolution of the government in Madagascar, with several experts speculating that Morocco may be next.
What is Gen Z 212 demanding from the government?
In Morocco, there is growing public outrage directed at the disparity between the government’s extravagant expenditure on stadiums in preparation for the 2030 FIFA World Cup and the country’s poorly-performing healthcare system in relation to similarly sized economies, as reported by The Independent.
Why are young people particularly mobilizing against the authorities?
In Morocco, a predominantly Muslim nation, the demonstrations are being referred to as “Gen Z 212,” after Morocco’s dialing code. The youthful participation in the protests keeps steadily increasing. More than half of Morocco’s population is under the age of 35. Unemployment among people aged 15–24 is 36%, making youth unemployment a significant cause of the protests.
Where are the largest demonstrations taking place in the country?
With its 37 million population, Morocco is constructing seven new stadiums and refurbishing another seven ahead of the FIFA World Cup. The country is looking to invest more than $5 billion in infrastructure for the occasion. This has fueled the anger of the nation’s youth, who are already struggling with inflation and poverty.
Moroccans are especially angry at Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch and Health Minister Amine Tahraoui, his former business associate. Akhannouch, one of Morocco’s richest men, owns the majority of the country’s gas stations. Young protesters are claiming that the men in government, along with their close business associates, have taken charge of the country’s wealth.
According to the Independent report, Morocco has only 7.7 health workers for every 10,000 people and even fewer in parts of the south and east, where protests have come to a head. While the public health system delivers over 80% of healthcare services, it accounts for only 40% of total health spending, with the remainder coming from private providers or out-of-pocket expenses.
Demonstrators have been chanting “Stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?”—a critique of Morocco’s extravagant spending on World Cup infrastructure at the perceived expense of the government taking care of the population’s daily struggles.
Gen Z 212 published a letter addressed to King Mohammed VI requesting him to dismiss the government and corrupt political parties, release detainees, and convene a national forum to hold officials accountable, as reported by The Independent.
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