Thousands marched through the streets of Rabat on June 11 in a protest against corruption and abuses of power by Moroccan government officials.
Protesters were showing solidarity with activists in al-Hoceima, where dozens of arrests have been made in recent weeks
Local media reports estimated that 15,000 Rabat residents marched along King Mohamed VI Avenue before converging on northern Rabat’s Bab el-Had Square. The protest was organized by a wide range of civil society groups and political parties, including the somewhat controversial Islamist Justice and Charity Organization (Al-Adl Wal Ihsane).
The demonstration in Rabat came on the heels of a recent police operation against protesters in the northern city of Al-Hoceima, where over 140 members of the al-Hirak al-Shaabi, the Popular Movement, an activist group, have been arrested, according to activists who spoke directly to Storyful.
Amongst those arrested include prominent Moroccan activist Nasser Zafzafi., who was arrested in late May after being identified by state security apparatuses as the orchestrator of protests in al-Hoceima.
The protest movement in the northern Moroccan town has been growing since October 2016 when a local fish vendor was reportedly crushed to death inside a garbage truck while trying to recover stock seized by officials.
