Violent clashes late Wednesday night in Sidi Youssef Ben Ali, a neighborhood in Marrakech, resulted in the arrest of 46 people accused of rioting and vandalism. Citing security sources, local media reported that confrontations between protesters and security forces in the neighborhood continued into the early hours of Thursday, October 2, the fifth night of the youth-led Gen Z protests, organized online. According to LeDesk, violent clashes in Sidi Youssef Ben Ali targeted a police station, which was reportedly set ablaze. Yesterday marked a sharp escalation of the Gen Z protests across Morocco, with several demonstrations turning violent. Nearby, in Tamansourt, a small town outside Marrakech, videos circulating online showed a gendarmerie station being targeted and set on fire. In Qliaa, near Agadir, two people were killed and others injured when Royal Gendarmerie officers used their service weapons in self-defense during an attack on their post. Meanwhile, riots in Salé saw banks and vehicles burned, while in Sidi Bibi protesters torched the municipal headquarters and garage. Similar scenes of clashes and vandalism were reported in Guelmim, Oulad Teima, Taroudant, and Tangier, as the protest movement spread beyond the 13 cities initially designated on social media.
