The Secretary-General of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), Abdelilah Benkirane, has spoken out on the recent Generation Z protests that were dispersed by police across multiple Moroccan cities. Speaking in Tangier on Sunday, Benkirane seized this moment of unrest to hark back to remarks he made on September 5, 2021, just days before the elections on September 8. In a video that made the rounds on social media at that time, Benkirane declared that Aziz Akhannouch «does not have the stature to lead a government. Aziz only has money. He has neither ideology, nor historical background, nor culture, nor a political party». He further warned that there could be «a return of the February 20 Movement» if Akhannouch were to assume the role of head of the government. Additionally, the PJD's general secretariat has called for the immediate release of all detained Generation Z protesters. In a statement, the Islamist party urged «the government and public authorities to swiftly release all young men and women who were arrested and remain detained following these peaceful demonstrations and protests, which are rights protected by the Constitution». It's worth recalling that Benkirane initially barred PJD members from joining the early marches of the February 20 Movement in 2011, citing an inability to support initiatives led by unknown entities. However, Mustapha Ramid, Abdelali Hamieddine, and Habib Choubani, who were part of the general secretariat at the time, chose to defy this directive.
