Moroccan Youth Rise Against Corruption and Repression, Breaking the Wall of Silence
Moroccan youth, angered by corruption, the plundering of their legitimate rights, and the monarchy’s strategy to neutralize political elites, have succeeded in breaking the wall of silence and overcoming fear amid growing popular discontent. This situation has forced the Makhzen to resort to confused rhetoric and outdated political tools, rejected by a restless street. For over a week, the youth protest movement active in several Moroccan cities has managed to end the silence imposed on the population and make its voice heard.
The movement has categorically refused any dialogue with a discredited government accused of betraying its commitments and multiplying unfulfilled promises, asserting that “the time for political maneuvers is over, and the time for accountability has come.” Expressing total loss of trust in the government, accused of ignoring the people’s social demands in favor of its own interests, the youth also blamed both ruling and opposition parties for their silence and failure to defend citizens’ rights. Declaring that their movement is not a passing outburst of anger, the protesters outlined a set of demands for comprehensive reforms, including linking responsibility to accountability and punishing any official failing in their duties.
Aous Remmal, President of the Moroccan Movement for Unity and Reform (Tawhid wa Islah), stated that “trust cannot be regained through words, but through tangible results in citizens’ daily lives,” calling to break with the logic of a “government of businessmen” that measures its success by markets and profits rather than by social justice and citizens’ dignity. Meanwhile, the Moroccan Civil Alliance Network for Youth condemned “the arrogant and provocative tone of certain ministers, as well as the spread of falsehoods,” arguing that such behavior only fuels tension. The organization also denounced the unjustified security strategy deployed against peaceful demonstrations guaranteed by the Constitution.
After more than a week of fiery protests, the Makhzen was forced to break its silence, releasing “clumsy statements both in form and substance” to express understanding of the youth’s demands, according to Moroccan writer Anas Ben Saleh. In an article published by several local media outlets, he stressed that “these empty declarations, like those of the head of government and his officials, have not calmed the boiling anger in the veins of thousands of conscious young people,” adding that the deep tremor caused by this protesting youth within Morocco’s stagnant political landscape has once again placed the Makhzen system before its responsibilities toward the people.
He asserted that “the strategy of tomb-like silence in the face of social unrest is no longer effective, and that voluntary deafness to citizens’ demands, their repression, and the confiscation of their right to expression—along with the rhetoric of treason and subversion—will no longer silence the population, because the wall of fear and submission has collapsed.”
Similarly, Moroccan writer Abdelkader El Afsassi wrote in several media outlets that the demonstrations represent “a vivid and direct illustration of the collapse of the official narrative,” noting that “those in power managed for decades to build a silent consensus—not only through repression, but by creating a complex network of intermediary institutions acting as safety valves.” El Afsassi emphasized that “what this generation demands is not just a series of technical reforms in education or health, but the destruction of false idols.” He concluded, “What is happening today is not the end of history, but perhaps its true beginning. It clearly signals that the old model is dead, even if its corpse still governs us.”
