The Face of Anger in Morocco: Between the Stakes of Conflict and the Prospects for Change The wave of anger and the accompanying protests in Morocco cannot be separated from the Ummah’s revolutions that began in 2010-2011, whether in terms of humanitarian or political demands, which were partially controlled through constitutional and political containment mechanisms, in line with the international project to contain revolutions.
00:02The face of anger in Morocco between the stakes of conflict and the prospects for change
00:07Translated by Ustad Yasin Ben Yahya
00:10The wave of anger and the accompanying protests in Morocco cannot be separated from the Ummah's revolutions
00:16that began in 2010-2011, whether in terms of humanitarian or political demands
00:23which were partially controlled through constitutional and political containment mechanisms
00:27in line with the international project to contain revolutions
00:30The Moroccan context was characterised by the regime's ability at the time to contain protests through constitutional reforms
00:38and its involvement in the international project of controlled political transition
00:42as demonstrated at the Doyville conference in 2011
00:46which contributed to reducing the intensity of demands calling for radical change and the overthrow of regime
00:54Leading the protests via Generation Z212
00:58The recent protests in Morocco were characterised by the emergence of a leaderless digital youth movement
01:04known as Generation Z212
01:07which organises itself through social media platforms and distances itself from traditional political parties
01:14It focuses on social and economic reform demands without calling for the overthrow of the regime
01:19Therefore the authorities' response was limited to the intervention of internal security forces to control the protests
01:25The wave of anger that swept across many regions stemmed from deep-seated social and economic grievances
01:32most notably the deterioration of public services, particularly in the health and education sectors
01:37high youth unemployment rates and widespread government corruption and mismanagement
01:42The protests erupted with force following the deaths of eight women during childbirth at Hassan II Hospital in Agadir
01:49a tragedy that highlighted the collapse of the healthcare system and ignited public outrage
01:54The protests also sharply criticised government spending policies that prioritised funding major events
02:00like the World Cup at the expense of essential services for those living below the poverty line
02:05The prominent Generation Z212 movement represents a qualitative shift in the Moroccan protest landscape
02:13embodying a digitally savvy leaderless generation that relies on network organisations via digital platforms such as Discord and TikTok
02:21The movement adopts a distinctly national identity through the symbol 212
02:26which is Morocco's international dialing code
02:29What happens after the protests are suspended?
02:32The Generation Z212 movement temporarily suspended its protests as of October 11, 2025
02:39This move was considered a strategy to recognise its rank and prepare for more effective future actions
02:45while reaffirming its unwavering commitment to all its demands
02:49The youth movement also faces a complex challenge in the possibility of the state shifting from a policy of soft containment to outright repression
02:58This shift can be sensed through field indicators such as systematic media restrictions
03:02pre-emptive security moves, organised smear campaigns and changes in official discourse towards the movement
03:09If some of these indicators coincide, the possible scenarios fall into three categories
03:14A temporary contraction of the movement into a state of quote-unquote tactical dormancy
03:19a gradual shift towards radicalisation as a reaction to repression
03:23or the achievement of quote-unquote legitimacy through repression
03:27by transforming pressure into an opportunity for astute political transformation
03:32It is worth noting that the movement is aware of these challenges
03:36and is addressing them strategically by avoiding hierarchical organisation and direct radical rhetoric
03:42It operates within the framework of quote-unquote internationally accepted legitimacy
03:47by focusing on social and human rights demands
03:52that raise the cost of repression for the regime in the eyes of the international community
03:56Islamic presence in the movement
03:59Moroccan authorities consider the quote-unquote Islamist exploitation of protests a red line
04:07and may intensify repression if they detect any political organisation behind them
04:12Therefore, Islamists, even those in opposition, maintain a policy of quote-unquote silent participation
04:19This is what made the Islamist presence in the protests palpable but not dominant
04:25Traditional Islamist parties like the Justice and Development Party and the Movement for Unity and Reform
04:30were almost entirely absent from leading the movement due to their loss of popularity
04:34after their experience in the government
04:36They limited themselves to cautious stances to avoid giving the regime a pretext to discredit the protests
04:42In contrast, young people from Islamist backgrounds participate as individuals
04:47engaging with the same social demands without raising religious slogans
04:51As for the Justice and Charity Group, the largest unlicensed Islamist opposition organisation
04:56It adopted a tactical approach
04:58Broad mobilisation from behind the scenes without declared leadership
05:01Focusing on slogans of societal justice, dignity and combating corruption without clashing with the state
05:08The general slogans of the movement remained right-based and social
05:13Reflecting a shift in the protest landscape towards specific demands
05:17While the Islamists retained their role as a quote-unquote silent popular force in the background
05:23The danger of Generation Z's association with non-governmental organisations
05:27It is worth noting that the Generation Z movement maintains an undeclared organisational relationship
05:32with local and international non-governmental organisations
05:36based on shared values and a common human rights discourse
05:40without direct organisational coordination
05:43These NGOs provide a legal and regulatory framework for youth initiatives
05:47and enable Generation Z to implement tangible projects in education, health, the environment and equality
05:53acting as a link between what is termed civil society and international institutions
05:59As is well known, the activities of non-government organisations are aligned with the 17
06:04Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations 2015-2030
06:0917 SDGs which aim to address challenges such as poverty, equality, gender
06:15and other issues that the capitalist international order has put in place as a project
06:20of cultural, civilisational and political hegemony against the Islamic project of the Ummah
06:26Beware of falling into these colonialist westernisation projects
06:30These revolutionary youth must keep in mind the danger of this connection
06:34and its distortion of the goals of the revolution
06:37The youth must realise that the activities of these organisations appear to be service-oriented
06:42but they work to pass plans that fight Islam and work to perpetuate colonialism in our country
06:48and to spread corruption among us
06:50The Ummah's revolution was only against Asian regimes that served colonialism
06:55exploited our wealth and resources for it
06:57and followed its secular westernising approach to the latter for the sake of crooked thrones
07:02So the Ummah rose up against them all in Arab countries, overthrew their leaders and demanded change of them
07:08However, true change will not be achieved except by the establishment of the Ummah's political project
07:13the Khilafah Rashida
07:15Rightly guided caliphate on the method of prophethood
07:18which unifies the lands of Muslims and eradicates colonialism
07:22and what it brought to our lands of corruption and depravity
07:25Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la said
07:26And Allah is predominant over his affair but most of the people do not know
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