After a weekend marked by Gen Z protests in several cities across Morocco, public figures have come forward in support of the young people's demands for better public education and healthcare services, as well as the fight against corruption. Many in the arts and football communities have voiced their opinions through their social media platforms. The first demonstrations by Generation Z in Morocco, held over the weekend of September 27–28, were dispersed by security forces and accompanied by arrests. The Gen Z 212 movement called for further gatherings on Monday, but these too were broken up or prevented. Among those detained were students and artists, including rapper Raid, who is scheduled to appear before the prosecutor on Wednesday at the Casablanca criminal court. In this context, public figures from the arts and sports worlds, particularly football, expressed solidarity on social media. On Instagram, rapper Khtek showed support by using Raid's photo as her profile picture and sharing a call for solidarity. According to Gen Z 212's pages, the reasons for his arrest remained unclear as of last night. In her message, Khtek urged fellow artists to take their support beyond music releases: «The authorities don't have Spotify». Rapper ElGrandeToto also reacted on X and Instagram, recalling the constitutional principle of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. «Today's youth are fed up and are peacefully demanding accountability, transparency, and policy changes to address public health and education needs», he wrote. He criticized the arrests, calling for «the dynamic to evolve and for dignity to prevail». Similarly, rapper Don Bigg denounced on his social media the unequal access to quality education and the soaring costs of private healthcare due to the weakness of public services. He described a «failure of domestic policy» that fuels political disengagement and erodes trust between young people and political parties. «Crisis management is improvised and accompanied by abuses of power, with directives failing to address the core of the problem», he wrote. Other artists also joined in. Singer Manal shared images of the arrests, expressing her shock. Actress Saadia Ladib posted a video reminding viewers that «education, health, and assembly are constitutional rights». Deploring the arrests, she called for «listening to the call of the youth» and «handling these situations with more reason», while warning against political actors co-opting the movement. She also shared an excerpt from a speech by King Mohammed VI urging political leaders to rebuild public trust. Theater director Naima Zitan, actor Hassan Hammouche, and filmmaker Abdeslam Kelai were among other cultural figures echoing this call. Expressions of support in football Beyond the artistic world, several young footballers reacted to the handling of the gatherings over the past three days. Moroccan international Azzedine Ounahi posted photos of the weekend's arrests on his social media accounts, without adding any comment. Rayan Azouagh, an 18-year-old goalkeeper who emerged with Ittihad of Tangier and now plays for Sevilla FC, shared images on his Instagram story in support of the youth's demands for dignity, education, and health. The same image was also shared by AS FAR players Ayoub Ait Khassou, Hamza Khabba, Marouane Louadni, Youssef El Fahli, and Zineddine Derrag, as well as Moroccan international Achraf Lazaar (Al Ittifaq FC), among others. In the stadiums, mobilization also took shape. During Saturday's match between Wydad Casablanca and RCA Zemamra (3-1) at Mohammed V stadium, home fans chanted slogans and unveiled tifos echoing demands for education and health. Ultras from Ittihad Tangier and Olympique Safi announced on Sunday that they would boycott upcoming matches. Meanwhile, political parties and associations have called for dialogue and for the release of those arrested during the demonstrations.
