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Latest update: 21/02/2011
- Arab world - Morocco - Popular revolt - unrest
Moroccan protesters call for curbs on king’s powers and end to corruption
Several hundred Moroccan demonstrators, some waving Tunisian and Egyptian flags, have staged a rare protest in the Moroccan capital of Rabat to demand restrictions on the king’s powers and an end to corruption.
By News Wires (text)
REUTERS - At least 2,000 protesters gathered in a square in Morocco's capital on Sunday to demand that King Mohammed give up some of his powers and clamp down on government corruption.
Some people in the crowd were waving Tunisian and Egyptian flags, a recognition of the popular uprisings there.
Uniformed police kept their distance from the protest, in Rabat's Bab El Ahad area, though there were plain-clothes officers mingling in the crowd with notebooks.
Analysts say Morocco, with a reformist monarch who is widely respected, and a growing economy, is one of the Arab countries least likely to succumb to the wave of protests sweeping the region.
Slogans chanted at the protest included: "The people reject a constitution made for slaves!" and "The people want the autocracy down!"
With heavy rain falling, people used plastic sheets as improvised raincoats.
"This is a peaceful protest to push for constitutional reform, restore dignity and end graft and the plundering of public funds," said Mustapha Muchtati of the Baraka (Enough) group, which helped organise the protest.
The protest was initiated by a group calling itself the February 20 Movement for Change, which has attracted 19,000 followers on the social networking website Facebook.
On the eve of the protest, a Moroccan youth movement said it was pulling out because of disagreements with Islamists and leftists.
Demonstrations were also planned for Morocco's other main cities, including Marrakesh, the top tourist destination.
Morocco is officially a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. But the constitution empowers the king to dissolve the legislature, impose a state of emergency and have a key say in government appointments including the prime minister.
Officials say Morocco's commitment to reform has never been as palpable as under King Mohammed who -- as a member of the Alaouite dynasty that has been ruling Morocco for some 350 years and claims descent from the Prophet Mohammad -- is considered sacred by the constitution.
The call for the protest has been portrayed as a healthy sign by the authorities. The government has worked since the king came to the throne in 1999 to repair a bleak legacy of human rights abuses, poverty and illiteracy left after the 38-year rule of his father, King Hassan II.
But Finance Minister Salaheddine Mezouar urged citizens to boycott the march, warning that any "slip may in the space of few weeks cost us what we have achieved over the last 10 years".
Officials have voiced concern that Algeria and the Polisario Front, which wants independence for the disputed territory of Western Sahara, may use upheavals sweeping some Arab countries to stir unrest. Morocco annexed Western Sahara in 1975.
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(10) Reactions
Morocco
I've lived in Morocco 30 years and love it. In my opinion Morocco is very healthy and very user friendly to all Americans. She will survive this time of unrest and be all the better for it. I pray God's peace on Morocco - God help them!
Middle East
The one thing dictators fear the most is INFORMATION. The Middle East is emerging from fudelism. The population can only be surpessed when it is ignorant of what is happening in free societies. The dictators can no longer control information.Unfortunately the progessives in the US are moving in the opposite direction and attempting to supress negative information and treading on dangerous ground
Morocco
I remember when i was a kid in highschool 1954-57 in Bernardsville NJ i had a part time job in a home for sick women. This home was given to sick working women for a 50 year period. at the end of that 50 years it was to be sold and money was to be given to 4 Universitys> Well the king of Morocco bought it for 7.5 million dollars in the 1960s. So on a month or so after i read that the US gave the king 140 million dollars to help feed his people.
pour Omar Mansour il fera
pour Omar Mansour il fera mieux de s'occuper du sort de mohamed abd abdelaaziz qui a passé 34 ans à la tete du polisario si non il reste non credible .
Pour les propolisarien
Pour les propolisarien algériens ou espagnoles ,une manifestation sociale est une aubaine pour eux du fait qu’ils tenteront de toute leur force pour qu’elle dégénère en manifestation politique ,rappeler vous ,la désinformation et la tentative de l" humiliation des marocains par les media algériens et espagnoles lors des événements de gdiem izik à laayoune .
Si les propolisariens et les proalgerien cherchent une vérité et bien en voici une et de taille:
Les dictateurs se soutiennent entre eux pour Abdelaziz Bouteflika un troisième mondât au pouvoir suite à une reforme constitutionnelle, et une lutte féroce pour une présidence à vie et pour Mohamed Abdelaziz 34 ans au pouvoir à la tête du polisario voila tout s’explique tout est clair. Le bien ne peut jamais provenir de ces dictateurs, ni de leurs alliés Le compte à rebours est entamé et ces dictateurs sont en chute libre.
I would like to know why
I would like to know why people from polizario are allowed to talk about the moroccan situation. Because the moroccan in the manifestation didnt manifest to give away the sahara. Why dont you show the 2 million people protest in Casablanca against polizario, 1 month ago. We see clearly the agenda of france 24. Send a reporter to tindouf and check the human rights there before judging morocco. We are free in morocco, free to manifest and to show our disagrements with the government in peace. Also we love the king because we know he cant change everything right now. He worked a lot since he came, and morocco is now having a real economic boom. Long live the king m6.
vous etes surprus?
au début je me demande pourquoi France 24 a choisi a pro-Polisario pour commenter la situation au Maroc.
concernant les manifs et bien , était un fiasco!!! 36 millions de marocains et on n'a vu que des milliers dans les rues la majorité d'entre eux sont des spectateurs, cela laisser bcp a commenter!toute fois c'est normal , car le peuple marocaine n'est pas des moutons qui sortent dans la rue a l' appelle des traitres et des gauchiste athées et des islamiste radicaux ( al adl wal ihsan) le peuple qd il veut sortir pour manifester il le fait sans doute , souvenez vous de la protestation du pain dans les année 80 , mais était pour une juste cause par parce que des homo et athées et les radicaux le veulent!!
vive le Maroc
vive les marocains
vive le roi
a bas les traitres du 20 février
why a polisario member
why a polisario member to comment events in Morocco?
Polsario is not able to manage few thousands of peoples in the camps without putting in the jail or dropping out all those can express opinion again him...!!
KING
I love my King and I will stand by him in hard times and good times. He is one of the few persons that is not corrupt.
polisario out
why in the world would you put an enemy of Morocco to comment on this protests??? Must be disapointed did not have the effect hoped for, huh? I doubt polisario can allow anyone to protest in Tindouf. Morocco WINS.