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Around 100 000 people took part in a Sunday march in Rabat to support the «Hirak» movement that have shaken the Rif region for months. Protesters gathered at Bab El Had, passing by Hassan II Boulevard and in front of the parliament in Mohammed V boulevard.
Several associations, syndicates, and different political organizations participated to this demonstration. The Democratic left Federation (FGD) alongside the Democratic way and the Istiqlal party manifested while other parties chose not to show up. Al Adl Wal Ihsane, (a tolerated and unrecognized Islamist movement) on the other hand was one of the most disciplined participants.
The March carried the same demands raised by protesters in the Rif region for seven months, calling authorities for the release of the political detainees, freedom, dignity and social justice.
Different estimations
As usual, numbers and estimations differed. According to MAP news agency only 12 000 to 15 000 people participated to the march. However, Hassan Benajah, member of the political circle of Al Adl Wal Ihsane, declared to Yabiladi that «the march organized in Rabat was attended by 1 million participant», insisting that yasterday's «march is historic».
Mustapha Chennaoui, an FGD parliament deputy, stated when speaking to Yabiladi that «the numbers and estimations reported by the MAP «are far to be true».
«I can not give exact numbers but the march knew the participation of thousands to million of people. Some of them were still at Bab El Had square while others have already arrived to the parliament».
The largest march organized in Rabat
A number of journalists and observers have noticed that the demonstration on Sunday in Rabat was one of the largest of its kind for several years. Several observers said on social media that the number of participants was close to 100,000 people. University professor Omar Cherkaoui said on his Facebook page: «I covered several demonstrations as a journalist, I think today's march is one of the most grandiose without exaggeration since it surpassed the bar Of 150,000 people.»
Some have checked Google MAP, to determine scientifically the number of participants based on the length of the avenue. Younes Benmoumen spoke about a minimum of 52 000 protesters.
Ahmed Choukairi Dini, a member of the Justice and Development Party's National Council, said on Facebook that more than 100,000 people were part of the march.
If the estimates converge towards 100,000 participants, Moroccans on social media were amused by the performance of Al Adl Wal Ihsane on one side and the number of protesters who took the streets of Rabat on the other side, and the underestimating numbers put forward by the MAP.
