\n<\/p>\n
CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) \u2014 Morocco\u2019s youth-led movement<\/a> poured back onto the streets Thursday after a midweek pause, hoping their return will be loud enough to push King Mohammed VI into firing the prime minister and delivering long-promised reforms to tackle corruption and improve public services.<\/p>\n The \u201cGen Z 212\u201d movement behind the protests called for the removal of what they describe as \u201cthe corrupt government\u201d and urged officials to prioritize spending on health and education.<\/p>\n Nationwide demonstrations came after a midweek pause that organizers said was designed to focus energies on one final display of strength before King Mohammed VI\u2019s address to the nation\u2019s parliament on Friday.<\/p>\n Despite thinner crowds, anger from those in attendance toward the government hasn\u2019t let up.<\/p>\n In Casablanca, hundreds took to the streets holding up pictures depicting government ministers as devils. Some held banners that said \u201cWe won\u2019t be silent anymore,\u201d while others demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, who is also one of Morocco\u2019s wealthiest businessmen.<\/p>\n Many said they were eagerly anticipating the king\u2019s planned address on Friday and hoped that he would expand upon reforms that officials have proposed in response to the protests.<\/p>\n \u201cI am here, a day before the king\u2019s speech, demanding better public services and to topple corruption,\u201d said Koyo, a 22-year-old psychology student who declined to give his full name.<\/p>\n Protesters appeal to king<\/p>\n The protests have targeted Morocco\u2019s spending on infrastructure such as stadiums for the 2030 FIFA World Cup and drawn a direct line between those priorities and neglect of facilities for health care and education. The demonstrations first erupted after eight women died giving birth in a public hospital in Agadir, a large coastal city 300 miles (483 kilometers) south of the capital Rabat.<\/p>\n Gen Z 212 \u2014 the leaderless collective behind the protests \u2014 has organized them on social media platforms including TikTok and Discord, where it now has more than 200,000 followers. The collective says the investment choices reflect how corrupt, unaccountable officials are disconnected from youth concerns.<\/p>\n Elected officials and government ministers have tried to answer their grievances. But planned investments and reforms to medical education have hardly appeased them and they\u2019ve angled for broader reforms.<\/p>\n Last week the leaderless movement published a public letter to the king asking him to dismiss the government and corrupt political parties, release political detainees and convene a national forum to bring corruption to account.<\/p>\n \u201cWe, the youth of Morocco, are requesting your majesty to intervene for a profound and just reform that restores rights and punish the corrupt,\u201d the group wrote in the letter.<\/p>\n Those demands were on stark display at Thursday\u2019s demonstrations, including in Casablanca, where young activists lashed out at government officials and called on the king \u2014 as Morocco\u2019s highest authority \u2014 to act on their behalf.<\/p>\n \u201cWe hope that it will mark a good omen for us, the Moroccan youth, and for all the Moroccans,\u201d Soufiane, an 18-year-old college student told The Associated Press. He carried a \u201cWanted\u201d poster depicting Health Minister Amine Tahraoui and, like most at the unauthorized demonstrations, declined to provide his full name out of fear of retribution.<\/p>\n The Health Ministry did not respond to requests for an interview.<\/p>\n Movement faces setbacks<\/p>\n Gen Z 212 lost some popular support after reports of looting and smashed storefronts in several cities last Wednesday and Thursday. It has scrambled to revive momentum and sustain pressure on the government. The group denounced violence and vandalism<\/a> and, in some cities, protesters organized cleanups and gave flowers to the security forces.<\/p>\n Despite organizers\u2019 strategy, Thursday\u2019s protests appeared smaller than some last week and over the weekend, which emerged as some of the country\u2019s largest displays of anti-government anger in years.<\/p>\n