Over the weekend of September 27-28, 2025, Morocco’s streets were swept by a powerful new wave of youth-led protests, signaling what many observers have called the country’s largest anti-government demonstrations in years. The unrest, which erupted in at least eleven cities including Rabat, Casablanca, and Marrakech, was driven by a generation of Moroccans dissatisfied with the government’s handling of healthcare and education, and deeply frustrated by what they see as misplaced national priorities.
According to reporting from CNN and the Associated Press, hundreds of young Moroccans—many from Generation Z—took to the streets to demand sweeping reforms. Their rallying cries were clear and direct: the government, they argued, has been pouring resources into international sporting events such as the upcoming 2030 FIFA World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations, while vital public services languish. Chants of “Stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?” echoed through city squares, highlighting the protesters’ anger over the stark contrast between gleaming new sports venues and underfunded, overcrowded hospitals and schools.
Morocco is currently preparing to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup—a point of national pride for some, but a source of deep contention for others. The government’s plans include constructing at least three new stadiums and modernizing or expanding six more, as part of a roadmap to showcase Morocco on the world stage. Yet, for many young Moroccans, these investments represent a glaring misallocation of funds in a country where, according to 2023 World Health Organization data, there are only 7.7 health workers per 10,000 people. The situation is even more dire in regions like Agadir, where the density drops to just 4.4 per 10,000—far below the WHO’s recommended 25 per 10,000.
The protests were remarkable not just for their scale, but for their organization. Unlike previous waves of unrest, often orchestrated by labor unions or political parties, this movement was leaderless and decentralized. Groups like “Gen Z 212” and “Morocco Youth Voices” used social media platforms—especially TikTok and Discord, favorites among gamers and teenagers—to mobilize supporters and coordinate peaceful demonstrations. Their calls for “peaceful and civil protests” resonated widely, even as some participants voiced more radical demands for systemic change.
“There is no hope,” said Youssef, a 27-year-old engineer who joined the demonstrations in Casablanca. “I not only want health and education reforms, I want a whole system reform. I want better salaries, better jobs, low prices and a better life.” Youssef, like many others, declined to give his full name out of fear of arrest—a concern that proved well-founded as police in plainclothes and riot gear moved to disperse crowds in several cities. According to the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, dozens of protesters were arrested on Saturday, some of whom were physically assaulted before being released overnight.
The government’s response was swift and forceful. In Rabat, heavy police presence was reported at protest sites, and authorities cited concerns over public order to justify dissolving gatherings. In Casablanca and Marrakech, similar scenes unfolded as police used specialized equipment to break up demonstrations. The Associated Press documented several arrests and incidents involving the use of force. Many Moroccans, politicians, and human rights advocates took to social media to criticize the crackdown, arguing that dispersing peaceful protests contradicts Morocco’s constitutional guarantees of free expression and assembly. They urged officials to engage with the demands of young people rather than respond with prohibitions and restrictions.
The roots of this unrest run deep. For more than a decade, protests in Morocco have often centered on regional disparities and government spending priorities. The current wave of demonstrations builds on earlier, more isolated incidents, including those that erupted in the aftermath of the deadly 2023 earthquake and the tragic deaths of eight women giving birth in a public hospital in Agadir—events that became rallying points for calls to fix Morocco’s healthcare system. As reported by local outlets, Moroccans have been gathering outside hospitals in both cities and rural towns, denouncing the decline of public services and demanding urgent reforms.
Officials, for their part, have denied that World Cup preparations are coming at the expense of public infrastructure. Morocco’s billionaire Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, who also serves as Agadir’s mayor, defended his government’s record in early September 2025. “We managed reforms, upgraded the spendings, and we are in the process of building hospitals in all the country’s regions,” Akhannouch said, according to the Associated Press. “The Agadir hospital has been facing problems since 1962 … and we are trying to resolve them.” Following the protests, Health Minister Amine Tahraoui fired the director of Agadir’s hospital along with several regional health officials, signaling at least some official recognition of the crisis.
Still, for many demonstrators, these gestures have not gone far enough. The movement’s decentralized nature, fueled by social media and the energy of Morocco’s large Gen Z population (those born between 1995 and 2010 now make up the largest share of the country’s people), has made it difficult for authorities to contain or co-opt. Protesters are not just asking for better hospitals and schools—they are demanding a fundamental shift in how Morocco’s resources are allocated and how the government listens to its citizens.
Some observers have drawn comparisons to youth-led movements in other countries, such as Nepal, where anger over corruption, nepotism, and lack of opportunity has also spilled into the streets. In Morocco, the sense of frustration is compounded by high unemployment rates, overcrowded schools, and what many see as widespread corruption in government institutions. The weekend’s events mark an escalation in tensions between the youth movement and the authorities, with both sides insisting on their rights—protesters to peaceful assembly, and police to maintain public order.
As the dust settles from a tumultuous weekend, it remains to be seen whether the Moroccan government will heed the calls of its young citizens or continue to prioritize its international ambitions. What is clear is that a new generation has found its voice—and is determined to be heard.