Moroccans protest rising cost of living 28/03/2007
A march against the rising cost of living, planned for March 25th in Casablanca, ran into determined opposition from security services. By Hassan Benmehdi for Magharebia in Casablanca – 28/03/07
[Hassan Benmehdi] Demonstrators march in Casablanca on Sunday, March 25th
The atmosphere was tense in Casablanca on Sunday (March 25th) when demonstrators protesting the rising cost of living met with government security forces attempting to quell the unauthorized march. Ali Fkir, a member of the organising committee, said that the people were frustrated at every turn. "Casablanca was under tight control. All the avenues, streets and alleys were blocked by the forces of law and order. It was impossible to get to Place de la Résistance, where the march was due to start," he said.
Encircled by a security cordon, several hundred participants from all over Morocco demonstrated for one and a half hours. The sit-in came to an end after an address by Omar Baaziz, national socialist youth secretary for Annahj Addimocrati. On behalf of his organisation, he greeted the participants, protested the state's refusal to authorise the march and asked the crowd to disperse in a peaceful, orderly manner.
According to city authorities, the march was illegal. "The national march to protest the cost of living, planned for Sunday March 25th in Casablanca, was not authorised," said the governor of Casablanca.
The march's co-ordinators organized the event in order to "raise awareness about maintaining people’s purchasing power". One organizer, Ahmed Douraidi, from the Moroccan Human Rights Association (AMDH), said the main objective of the march was to encourage civil society to apply pressure to the government and certain businesses responsible for the price increases. "We’re looking for them to reverse these price hikes and to increase salaries," he declared to Magharebia, adding that "We know that we cannot negotiate on behalf of the unions, but…we hope to support them and prepare the ground for their negotiations and talks with the government."
According to the government's High Commission for Planning (HCP), the cost of living index (ICV) showed a fall of 0.1% over the month of February compared with the previous month. In a press release, the HCP stated that this change is the result of a 0.3% drop in the price index for food products and the stagnation of non-food prices.
Nonetheless, for over a year the Moroccan public has struggled with rising prices, which make managing daily affairs increasingly difficult. Mrs Saadia, a mother of five, makes no secret of her dissatisfaction. "The price rises have seen an unjustified boom, given that our purchasing power has not changed."
chargement...
