GenZ 212 movement one year later

One year after the emergence of the GenZ 212 movement in Morocco, mass demonstrations have subsided, but repression continues. Trials are ongoing, appeals are constantly postponed, and minors remain detained without trial. The presence of activists behind bars, the trial of Generation Z members, and the suffering of honest people confirm that the fight against authoritarianism and corruption is a decisive battle.

Zineb El Kharroubi’s sentencing

Zineb El Kharroubi, a young activist of the GenZ 212 movement, was sentenced to six months of suspended prison for "incitement to commit crimes or offenses through electronic means." She has been practicing her activism from France, where she resides. On 27 September 2026, she participated in a roundtable in Paris to celebrate the first anniversary of the GenZ 212 movement and to support those blocked in Ceuta. Events were also organized in Casablanca, Rabat, Madrid, and Brussels.

Origins of the GenZ 212 movement

The GenZ 212 movement, which lasted only a month, emerged after a shock: at the public hospital in Agadir, in a week, eight women died as a result of cesareans. All over the kingdom, young people mobilized to demand better health and education systems, the end of corruption, and the resignation of the government of Aziz Akhannouch. Weakened by more than 5,000 arrests, urban mobilization has faded. The repression, however, has not stopped.

Legal consequences of the movement

The Moroccan Ministry of the Interior recorded nearly 2,480 people prosecuted in court, half of whom were in custody, by the end of October 2025. Eight months later, the General Directorate of Penitentiary Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR) indicated that 662 people were still behind bars, including 567 convicted of crimes and 95 for offenses.

Detained minors and ongoing trials

The National Support Committee for the Families of GenZ 212 detainees raised the alarm about the situation of several minors held in the Tamesna penitentiary. These minors were abused in the police stations because they refused to sign the interrogation statements that were already prepared and that imputed them with heavy charges. The mothers were deceived when they were asked to sign on behalf of their sons, being made to believe that they would be released. These minors are not the only ones waiting for a hearing that never comes.

Political impact and electoral outcomes

After having demanded - in vain - the departure of the Akhannouch government, Gen Z did not attend the most important political event in the kingdom: the legislative elections. To participate in the vote on September 23, 2026, the 18-24-year-olds represented only 4% of the 15.8 million registered voters, compared to 8% in 2021, although they make up almost 11% of the total population. And among all the registered voters, few went to the polls: the abstention rate has never been so high since 2007, reaching 61.98%.

Political responses and alliances

Few parties have led a real campaign for the release of political prisoners, such as the Federation of the Democratic Left (FGD) and the Unified Socialist Party (PSU), which formed the Left Alliance in an effort to integrate the demands of the youth into its social and economic program. This alliance obtained eight seats (out of 395), four times more than in 2021... but came far behind the already ruling trio. This time, the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) led by Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri finished first, with 97 seats.

Continuing resistance and government efforts

On the militant page "Morocco Youth Voice," one mocks: "How could a reasonable person believe that a reasonable people would vote for these people?" This Instagram account, which has nearly 51,300 followers, is part of those few anonymous pages that keep the spirit of the GenZ movement alive, monitoring the progress of the legal procedures of the detainees, sometimes calling for gatherings in front of the courts. The repression has transformed this idealistic, democratic, and somewhat libertarian, but not radical, youth into an anti-system force. All the regime's efforts to appease these activists as individuals have failed.