Police claim two were shot in self -defense

At least two people were killed in Morocco after police opened fire to prevent protesters from storming police in Lqliaa, near the coastal city of Agadir, state media said.

These are the first deaths reported after huge protests led by young people broke out on Saturday, as anger increased for the government’s decision to build football stadiums for the 2030 FIFA World Cup rather than improve public services and deal with the economic crisis.

“Stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?” is a popular chanting among Gen Z protesters.

A protester told the BBC Newsday that going to the hospital in his city, Oujda, on the border with Algeria, is like a “jail”.

It was dirty and the patients had to bribe security staff and nurses to see a doctor, said the protester, who was talking to anonymity when he was afraid of repression.

The protests are happening at night, with police saying that on Wednesday night they were forced to open fire “in legal self -defense” to repel the “attack” at LQLIAA, the state news agency said.

Earlier on Wednesday, the interior ministry stated that the right of people to protest within the law will be confirmed.

The organizers of the protest movement, led by young people, known as Genz 212 – The number refers to the International Morocco Dial Code – have moved away from violence. They are mainly collected through social media and do not have an official leadership structure.

Official statistics show that Morocco’s unemployment amounts to 12.8%, with youth unemployment increasing to 35.8% and 19% among graduates, according to Reuters News Agency.

The protests also affected the capital, Rabat, the main commercial city, Casablanca and the port city of Tangier – often the point of arrival of tourists who go to Morocco with Ferry from Spain.

The Morocco Tourist Center, Marrakech, was also affected by violence, with protesters burning a police station, according to local media.

The Interior Ministry spokesman Rahid El Halphi said 409 people were detained through Morocco after the excitement.

More than 260 police officers and 20 protesters were injured while 40 police vehicles and 20 private cars were burned, he says.

The excitement follows such large -scale demonstrations led by young people, this summer in Nepal, Indonesia, the Philippines and Madagascar.

The Nepal uprising led to the resignation of the prime minister, while Madagascar’s president rescued his government on Monday in an attempt to deploy protesters there.

Morocco’s ruling coalition issued a statement on Tuesday, expressing a desire to deal with a dialogue with young people “in institutions and public spaces to find realistic solutions.”

He also praised what he calls “a balanced response to the security authorities in accordance with the relevant legal procedures”.