Across different cities in Morocco, young people have taken to the streets in what is an anti-government demonstration. The demonstrations are urging for improvements to public healthcare, better educational systems, and more job opportunities for the country’s youths.
The main organising entity, an anonymous collective, calls itself “Gen Z 212,” a nod to Morocco’s country code. Their central hubs — Discord, TikTok and Instagram — are being used to spread their messages and mobilise people for the movement.
Why protest?
A major motivation for the protests is the government’s spending priorities. Protesters criticise the multi-billion-dollar investments in sports infrastructure for upcoming international events such as the 2030 FIFA World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations, while public services appear to be lacking.
Public outrage intensified following a recent incident where eight women died during childbirth at a public hospital in Agadir.
Per reports, these protesters have taken to public places in multiple cities, including Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakesh, and Agadir, chanting the slogan, “Stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?”
The rage over money being spent on sporting events instead of public infrastructure echoes similar frustrations among youths across Africa. With the continent being the world’s youngest continent, mass youth unemployment has become fuel for the protests.
As of September 2025, Morocco’s youth unemployment rate is over 35%, placing it among the countries with the highest youth unemployment rates in Africa.
The role of social media
Viral videos, memes, and short, emotionally charged clips of hospital conditions and police encounters have flooded social media platforms across the country.
Like similar youth-led protests in Africa such as the EndSars protest in Nigeria, the RejectFinanceBill2024 protest in Kenya and the RevolutionIsNow movement in Sudan, these young people are leveraging the platforms they are most familiar with in sharing their voices.
As the protests persist, demonstrators are using their phones to document events in real time, capturing footage of police dispersing crowds, making arrests, and, in some cases, allegedly deleting videos from protesters’ devices. These clips have gone viral across platforms, drawing both domestic and international attention and intensifying momentum on the ground.
In response, Moroccan authorities have deployed a heavy security presence, with numerous arrests reported. Despite the growing unrest, the government has yet to issue an official statement.
