Moroccans voice solidarity with Al-Rif protesters

By Khaled Majdoub

RABAT, Morocco (AA) - Residents of Morocco’s northern city of Al-Hoceima on Thursday beat pots and pans on their rooftops to show solidarity with ongoing popular demonstrations in the restive Al-Rif region.

Residents of the city, which is located on the northern cusp of the Rif Mountains, staged their impromptu demonstration on Thursday to protest the arrest by the Moroccan authorities of dozens of protesters and activists in Al-Rif.

“The government’s continued failure to address our grievances has led to the appearance of such novel forms of protest,” one protest leader in Al-Rif, speaking anonymously due to safety concerns, told Anadolu Agency.

For the last nine months, Al-Hoceima -- along with a number of other towns and villages in northern Morocco -- have seen numerous protests by local youth demanding job opportunities and an end of perceived government corruption.

The demonstrations were initially sparked last October by the death of Mohsen Fikri, a fisherman who was crushed to death by a garbage truck while protesting attempts by the local authorities to confiscate his fish.

Last week, Moroccan Justice Minister Mohamed Aujjar put the total number of people arrested for protesting in Al-Rif at more than 100.