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Thousands protest against education cuts in Morocco

Xinhua, January 25, 2016 Adjust font size:

Thousands took to the main streets of the Moroccan capital Rabat on Sunday to protest against controversial education cuts, defying a government ban on protests announced a few days ago.

After violent dispersion of several demonstrations organized by teacher trainees over educational cuts a week ago, Moroccan government said on Thursday that it would not allow any protest by the trainees.

The government decided a few months ago to employ only 70 percent of teacher trainees and cut by half their grants, stirring protests in many cities.

The demonstrators marched while riot police were scattered along the route of the march, and the police erected security barricades around government buildings.

These protests came a few weeks before the fifth anniversary of mass protests that Morocco witnessed in February and March 2011.

Protests in 2011 led to a new constitution and a parliamentary vote was held late that year, which brought Abdelilah Benkirane's Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) to power. Endit