Two people were killed and several others injured on Wednesday night in Lqliaa, near Agadir, after security forces opened fire to repel a group attempting to seize weapons from a gendarmerie facility, Moroccan local authorities confirmed.
The incident marked a violent escalation in the nationwide protests, which began on Saturday as peaceful demonstrations demanding better education and healthcare. The rallies, largely driven by young people, are organized online by an anonymous collective calling itself “GenZ 212.” The movement has used TikTok, Instagram, and Discord to mobilize supporters, with membership in its Discord server surging from about 3,000 last week to over 130,000.
Authorities said tear gas failed to disperse the crowd before they stormed the facility, setting part of it and a vehicle ablaze. Armed with knives, the group forced security forces to fire in self-defense, officials stated, without giving an exact number of the injured.
The unrest spread on Tuesday night to several cities, with Reuters reporting images of security forces detaining protesters and loading them into vans. According to the Interior Ministry, 263 security officers and 23 civilians were injured in those clashes.
By Wednesday night, violence intensified in multiple regions. In Salé, near Rabat, protesters hurled stones at police, looted shops, and torched banks and police vehicles. Tangier also saw youths clashing with security forces, while towns in the Souss region near Agadir experienced some of the most severe disturbances.
In Sidi Bibi, masked protesters burned the commune headquarters and blocked a main road, residents said. South of Agadir, in Biougra, a bank was ransacked and shops vandalized. Marrakech, the country’s tourist hub, witnessed violent confrontations, including the burning of a police station.
Taroudant, usually calm, also erupted with demonstrators clashing with security forces, looting shops, and torching cars.
Despite the unrest, peaceful rallies were reported in Casablanca, Oujda, and Taza, where demonstrators called for Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch’s resignation and chanted slogans such as “The people want an end to corruption.”
The protests were initially triggered by anger over poor hospital conditions in Agadir, but they have since evolved into a wider movement reflecting growing frustration among Moroccan youth.
