According to police, two have shot “self -defense”

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

These are the first reported deaths because enormous demonstrations led by young people broke out in Morocco on Saturday while anger increased on the government’s decision to build football stadiums for the FIFA World Cup 2030 rather than improving public services and attacking the economic crisis.

“The stadiums are there, but where are hospitals?” is a popular song among the demonstrators of the Z generation.

A demonstrator told BBC Newsday that going to the hospital in his city, Oujda, on the border with Algeria, was like “entering a prison”.

It was dirty, and the patients had to bribe security agents and nurses to see a doctor, said the protester, who spoke under the cover of anonymity feared reprisals.

The demonstrations took place at night, the police saying that they had been forced to open fire “in legitimate self-defense” Wednesday evening to repel “the attack” in LQLIAA, reported the public news agency.

Earlier Wednesday, the Interior Ministry said that people’s right to protest by law would be confirmed.

The organizers of the protest movement led by young people known as Genz 212 – The number refers to the international numbering code of Morocco – have moved away from violence. They have rallied mainly through social media and have no official leadership structure.

Official statistics show that the unemployment rate in Morocco is 12.8%, young people who reach 35.8% and 19% among graduates, reports the reuters news agency.

Demonstrations have also struck the capital, Rabat, the main commercial city, Casablanca and the port city of Tangier – often the arrival point for tourists who go to Morocco by ferry from Spain.

The tourism center of Morocco, Marrakech, was also struck by violence, the demonstrators burning a police station, according to local media.

Interior ministry spokesperson Rachid El Khalfi said that 409 people had been detained in Morocco after the troubles.

More than 260 police officers and 20 demonstrators were injured, while 40 police vehicles and 20 private cars were burnt down, he said.

The uprising follows similar demonstrations led by young people and on a large scale this summer in Nepal, Indonesia, the Philippines and Madagascar.

The uprising in Nepal led the Prime Minister to resign, while the president of Madagascar dissolved his government on Monday to try to appease the demonstrators there.

The governing coalition of Morocco published on Tuesday a statement expressing its desire to dialogue with young people “within institutions and public spaces to find realistic solutions”.

He also praised what he called “the balanced reaction of the security authorities in accordance with relevant legal procedures”.