Moroccan demonstrators frustrated over inequality and corruption are defying a police ban and holding a protest in a northern city that has become a symbol of mounting public anger.
Moroccans from other cities and abroad expressed their support on social networks for the protesters who gathered on Thursday in El Hoceima, amid a reported heavy police presence.
Their Hirak protest movement has become the biggest challenge to the kingdom, a key US ally known for its stability, since the Arab Spring in 2011.
Movement leader Nasser Zefzafi called for a protest July 20 before his arrest last month following a dramatic manhunt. Authorities banned Thursday’s demonstration for administrative reasons.
Protesters are demanding government investment in the impoverished northern Rif region, and justice for a fish vendor crushed by a garbage compactor.
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AP
