A youth collective calling itself GenZ 212, led by a group of anonymous organisers, has surprised authorities in Morocco with a wave of protests demanding reforms to public health and education.
Here’s what we know about the unprecedented youth-led demonstrations taking place across the usually stable North African kingdom.
How did GenZ 212 start?
The collective was founded in mid-September on the online messaging platform Discord.
Its name blends Generation Z — those born between the late 1990s and early 2010s — and +212, Morocco’s international dialling code.
One early member, speaking anonymously to AFP for fear of retribution, said the group formed to highlight growing social inequalities in Morocco.
Discontent surged particularly after reports last month of the deaths of eight pregnant women at a public hospital in Agadir, underscoring the dire state of public healthcare.
On its Discord server, where all organisers remain anonymous, GenZ 212 describes itself as a “free youth” movement. The group says it is not politically affiliated, but has expressed “love for the homeland and the king,” referring to King Mohammed VI.
What sparked the protests?
Each evening, members of the group discuss issues on Discord and vote on actions to take.
In one such vote, members agreed to hold a protest on September 27, sparking several days of demonstrations across multiple cities.
Authorities initially dismissed the movement, but after banning the first protests, the group’s Discord membership soared — reaching nearly 170,000 users as of Friday.
While some cities saw outbreaks of violence and vandalism, GenZ 212 has repeatedly distanced itself from any form of violence.
Tragically, three people were killed on Wednesday when security forces opened fire on a group allegedly attempting to storm a police station near Agadir.
What are their demands?
The group’s main demand is urgent reform of Morocco’s public health and education systems, which many protesters say highlight the country’s stark social inequalities.
In a post addressed to the king on Friday, GenZ 212 initially called for the government’s dismissal — but later appeared to backtrack on that demand.
Despite the rollout of universal health coverage in 2021, many public hospitals remain overcrowded, underfunded, and inaccessible for poorer Moroccans.
“We are sometimes forced to pay bribes to get a hospital bed,”
said Fatima Zahra, a 20-year-old protester.
Public schools face similar issues of overcrowding and neglect. According to official statistics, lack of education remains a key driver of poverty — though the overall poverty rate has fallen from nearly 12% in 2014 to 6.8% in 2024.
How does the World Cup fit in?
GenZ 212 has not issued specific demands regarding Morocco’s co-hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
However, many protesters feel the government is prioritising World Cup-related infrastructure over basic public services.
Slogans like “Health, not just stadiums” have been chanted during demonstrations.
One member of the collective clarified on Discord:
“We’re not against hosting the World Cup,
but we want the same effort made for stadiums to be made for hospitals.”
Morocco has committed to:
Renovating six stadiums
Building a new $1.7 billion stadium by 2028
Investing nearly $9 billion in rail upgrades
Allocating $7 billion for 5G internet
Spending $3.7 billion on airport improvements
Why has the movement surprised Morocco’s leaders?
While social protests are not new in Morocco, the spontaneous and leaderless nature of GenZ 212 has caught authorities off guard.
“Young people have been expressing their anger for years in football stadiums,”
said political scientist Mohamed Chiker.
“But they’ve been seen as disengaged.”
GenZ 212 challenges that perception, revealing a growing sense of civic and political awareness among Moroccan youth — and a demand for meaningful reform in a country where they feel left behind.