In the early hours of Thursday morning, a precarious calm prevails in Taza after hours of clashes recorded the day before between law enforcement and graduates looking for work, supported by inhabitants of the Koucha district. This is the first social protest under the Benkirane government. "Everything started with two sit-ins, the first organised in front of the prefecture headquarters by the National Association of Unemployed Graduates and the second is an initiative of the group of graduates held in the administrative district which houses the homes of high-ranking officials of the Territorial Administration," explains Mohamed Chbairi, president of the AMDH section in Taza, to Soir Echos.
"The police prevented an attempt by these young people to storm the prefecture premises by force. A round of negotiations followed between the two parties, without anything concrete. The tension was at its peak and it only took a spark for everything to ignite. It is difficult to say whether a police officer injured a pregnant woman among the group of graduates or not, but the facts are there; this information clearly set the powder keg on fire, giving the signal for lively clashes between protesters and law enforcement. Intolerable violence from both parties," adds Chabairi.
“For hours, Taza lived through hours of urban guerrilla warfare that are reminiscent of what happened in Tahrir Square in Egypt. The unemployed graduates, supported by young people from the Koucha district, including minors, tried to block access to law enforcement by burning sewage pipes and tyres on the road leading to their popular district. For its part, the police tried to break this blockade by rushing vehicles driving at high speed into the crowd. We did not observe the use of tear gas or rubber bullets by law enforcement,” explains our interlocutor.
Faced with the intensity of these clashes, police elements from Fès came to lend a hand to those in Taza, who were clearly overwhelmed by events. It is difficult to establish a toll for these hours of violence that Taza experienced. But there is already talk of a first victim, killed after being crushed by a police vehicle. “About thirty police officers are injured. On the other hand, on the side of the protesters, many avoided going to the Ben Baja hospital for fear of being arrested,” estimates Mohamed Chbairi. In addition to these troubles, on the same day, Taza and precisely the road connecting Fès to Oujda was closed to traffic for a few hours because of a sit-in organised by students.
Taza is, par excellence, a city accustomed to this kind of protest movement. At the end of December, the inhabitants of the Koucha district organised demonstrations against the high cost of water and electricity bills. Women receiving paltry pensions were also part of it. It is this context of tension that explains the support of the young people of this district for the unemployed graduates.
