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Rabat – Abdelilah Benkirane, Secretary General of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), has urged members of Gen212 to reconsider their communication approaches, especially following their decision to pause demonstrations on Tuesday and Wednesday and resume them on Thursday and Friday, on the eve of the royal speech.
King Mohammed VI is set to deliver a speech on Friday, marking the opening of the autumn session of Morocco’s parliament.
In a message addressed to the youth movement, Benkirane warned that such an approach could be perceived as an attempt to exert pressure ahead of the royal address, describing the move as “unsuccessful.”
He urged the protesters to avoid any action that might be interpreted as political pressure on the monarchy. While Moroccans support demonstrations against injustice and corruption, he argued, their stance changes when the institution of the monarchy is involved.
“Allow me, even though I do not belong to your generation or even know about it before, to tell you this as sincere advice — as Muslims in general and as citizens as well. I urge you to reconsider this announcement,” Benkirane said.
He emphasized that the youth’s appeals and messages have reached their destination, stating that the language used in their announcements is more mature.
Benkirane’s message comes as Moroccan youth have been rallying for over a week to demand sweeping reforms to critical sectors, including health, education, as well as creating fairer employment opportunities.
Police intervened and arrested activists and youth from Gen212 during the first days of protest, sparking uproar and condemnation over freedom of expression.
A group of young people exploited the situation, escalating protests into violence, with videos documenting riots, vandalism affecting private and public businesses.
Benkirane has been vocal since the start of the protests.
Following police intervention last week, PJD issued several statements, pointing out that the government’s performance is the main reason behind the deterioration of sectors like healthcare and education.
“Other failures include the misuse of influence for personal and partisan gain, tailor-made financial and tax legislation serving narrow interests, entrenching rentier practices and conflicts of interest in public investment and contracting, halting anti-corruption initiatives by suspending laws and government committees,” PJD said.
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