Hundreds Arrested And Injured In Morocco Protests

Rabat: More than 400 people were arrested and nearly 300 injured during protests in Morocco demanding reforms in the public health and education sectors, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.

Unauthorised demonstrations were held for the fourth consecutive day at the call of the GenZ 212 group, a recently formed Discord-based collective whose organisers remain unknown.

The latest protests on Tuesday night turned violent in cities including Oujda and Inzegane.

Ministry spokesman Rachid El Khalfi said the clashes involved protesters using knives, Molotov cocktails and stones.

A total of 263 police officers were injured to varying degrees, along with 23 protesters, including one hospitalised in Oujda.

El Khalfi said 409 people were detained following the unrest, during which more than 140 police vehicles and 20 private cars were set ablaze.

"Protesters also stormed government offices, bank branches and shops, looting and vandalising them," especially in Inzegane and Oujda, he said.

AFP footage showed tense confrontations lasting several hours along a main avenue in Inzegane.

Videos circulating in Moroccan media, which AFP could not independently verify, showed hooded people throwing stones at police and setting fire to bins and areas around a shopping centre.

In Rabat, prosecutors decided on Wednesday that a group of 97 people, including three in detention, would face trial, according to their lawyer, Souad Brahma.

Another 26 people where released without charges, she said. A trial date has not been set.

Prosecutors had already said an initial group of 37 people, including three in detention, would face trial on Tuesday, said Brahma.

Protests are expected for a fifth consecutive day on Wednesday evening in around 10 cities.

GenZ 212, which expressed "regret" over Tuesday's violence, describes itself as a "discussion space" focused on issues affecting all citizens, such as health, education and fighting corruption.

Social inequality remains a major issue in Morocco, with sharp regional disparities and a significant gap between the public and private sectors.

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