In the aftermath of King Mohammed VI's speech on October 10, the mobilization appeared to be running out of steam. Demonstrations have since gathered only a few dozen protesters in Rabat and Casablanca, but the collective is calling for rallies next weekend.

The GenZ 212 youth collective, which has been calling for reforms in Morocco's health and education sectors since late September, announced the organization of "peaceful sit-ins" in most of the country's cities on October 18. The movement also called for a boycott campaign, without specifying the target.

"We call on all Moroccan youth and all citizens to mobilize massively to support this movement until our demands are met," the movement, whose founders remain anonymous, declared in a statement.

Since September 27, the collective, with more than 210,000 members on the Discord platform , has organized gatherings almost every evening across Morocco, bringing together hundreds of people.

Signs of shortness of breath

But on October 9, on the eve of a highly anticipated speech by King Mohammed VI urging the government to accelerate social reforms, the mobilization appeared to be running out of steam. The demonstrations brought together only a few dozen protesters in Rabat and Casablanca, according to AFP journalists.

GenZ 212 is calling for decent public education and healthcare services, the fight against corruption, and government accountability. "As a top priority," it demands the immediate release of "prisoners of conscience arrested for their peaceful participation" in its rallies.

In the early days of this initially banned protest, police made hundreds of arrests. Around 550 people are facing prosecution, some of whom have been detained. Clashes and acts of vandalism have marred some demonstrations . Three people, including a film student who, according to his relatives, had come to document the protests, were killed in early October in a clash with police near Agadir.

During recent protests in Casablanca, AFP saw placards targeting Afriquia, one of the country's main gas station chains, a subsidiary of the Akwa conglomerate , largely owned by the family of the head of government, Aziz Akhannouch, who has been criticized by many protesters.