A wave of youth protests, orchestrated by the Generation Z and coordinated through digital platforms until now detached from politics, has shaken the foundations of the Kingdom of Morocco. The movement, self-styled as apolitical, is the crystallization of the deep social discontent accumulated over years and evidences a generational fracture with the ruling elite. Far from being a spontaneous phenomenon, the protests are the result of structural problems that choke the aspirations of a majority youth. This courage of Moroccan youth contrasts with the cowardice of the Spanish Government of Pedro Sánchez, which since this summer has faced several affronts to the Spanish sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla, to which the Spanish Government has left unanswered.
In reference to this, the core of the demands centers on the catastrophic deterioration of public services and the chronic lack of opportunities. The young, digitally connected and aware of global disparities, have said «enough» to the tacit pact of stability in exchange for precarity.
The spark that lit the fuse was a health tragedy that exposed the system’s fragility. The death of several pregnant women at Hassan II hospital in Agadir, due to lack of resources and, allegedly, negligence, became the symbol of a State that fails at its most basic functions.
The protesters not only demand justice for these cases, but they cry out for urgent investments in healthcare. Public hospitals are seen as centers of neglect, not of healing, and the Generation Z demands decent resources to ensure the health of the population.
The education system is also facing a credibility crisis. The mobilizations denounce the lack of adequate infrastructure and the low pay for teachers, which undermine the quality of teaching and perpetuate the cycle of poverty. Young people know that without robust education, their chances of climbing socially fade.
At the origin of the protest lies the complaint of a Morocco at “two speeds”. The country’s economic growth has not translated into equitable improvement for all citizens. The gap between the elite and the majority has widened, especially in access to basic services. Wealth seems to be concentrated in a small circle, feeding the perception of a systemic corruption that robs the youth of their future.
This perception is exacerbated by the drama of youth unemployment. The unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 24 has reached alarming levels, surpassing 47% in the second quarter of 2025, according to reports from the Central Bank. Having a university degree no longer guarantees a job, turning frustration into rage. Corruption is also seen as an insurmountable wall that blocks equitable access to job opportunities.
The youths’ anger has found a direct focal point in the Government’s spending priorities. While essential services crumble, the State has allocated billions to large infrastructure projects.
The target of the criticisms are the substantial investments in sports infrastructure, such as the preparation of the country to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations. The most repeated and sharpest slogan of the protests sums up this clash of priorities: “The stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?”. The youths perceive that the Government bets on international prestige and entertainment, at the expense of the basic well-being of its own people.
A fundamental aspect of these uprisings is their innovative digital mobilization. The Generation Z has demonstrated its ability to organize in a decentralized manner, outside political parties or traditional unions. Mass coordination has been achieved through Discord channels and the viral diffusion of videos on TikTok. This organizing model, agile and difficult to contain, represents an unprecedented challenge to the monarchy. Beyond the economic demands, the protesters demand a crucial intangible: freedom, dignity and social justice, denouncing police repression.
The tensions in Morocco align with the ongoing and sensitive matter of Spain’s autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, a topic that resurfaces with every political gesture. The presence on July 30 of a delegation from the cities at the Throne Day of Mohammed VI adds another problem to Spanish-Moroccan relations, marked by the “cowardice” of Sánchez against the narco-state of Morocco. This also helps Morocco to bypass European Court of Justice rulings on the Sahara’s natural resources, a covert assistance that gradually and greatly worsens the delicate situation of Spain’s primary sector.
For Morocco, Throne Day is the supreme expression of national unity and the symbol of the monarchy’s continuity. The attendance by a delegation, composed of Muslims from Ceuta and Melilla, is systematically interpreted by several Moroccan media as an act of loyalty to the Alaouite sovereign.
Press reports have used phrases such as “We come to pledge loyalty to our king”, aiming to imply a sovereign link over territories that Rabat considers “occupied”. This gesture is a geopolitical move that seeks to use the cultural, historical and religious ties of part of the population to reinforce Morocco’s historic claim over the cities.
In Spain, this presence generates a colossal political controversy. Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish territory, and any interpretation that suggests recognition of Moroccan authority is seen as an unacceptable interference in internal affairs and national sovereignty. Although the government’s passivity begins to anger Spanish citizens.
The presence of these delegations is interpreted as an attempt by Morocco to exert political influence over the Muslim population of the cities. While it is true that the attendance may reflect, for some individuals, a bond of identity and faith with the monarch, who bears the title of “Commander of the Faithful”, the Spanish government stresses that this in no way implies recognition of Moroccan sovereignty. The bottom line is clear: what Morocco uses to bolster its sovereignist discourse, Sánchez sees as a political maneuver that exploits cultural ties for territorial aims. And the population of the cities remains mosqueada — unsettled — and is calling for gestures that reaffirm sovereignty.
In this climate of geopolitical tension with Morocco and domestic social crisis, the figure of the Spanish monarch, Felipe VI, has been invoked in connection with a possible visit to the autonomous cities, by local politicians.
There is an official interest from the Spanish Crown for Felipe VI to visit Ceuta and Melilla in a “near future”. However, despite this expressed interest, there is no confirmed date or official announcement of the trip. Something that angers the citizens of both cities, who despite their continued support,
The possibility of the visit has become a topic of internal political debate. Parties such as VOX have openly demanded a royal visit to “demonstrate the country’s unity” and to back the local population’s sentiment. However, these demands are political initiatives rather than official news from the Royal Household.
A State visit by Felipe VI to Ceuta and Melilla would be a gesture of extremely high symbolic and political value that would reaffirm Spanish sovereignty over both enclaves at a crucial moment. Because of diplomatic delicacy, the realization of this trip is being handled with maximum discretion, leaving the public waiting for a move that would have direct repercussions on relations with Rabat. For now, nothing—Spain’s government’s submission to the Moroccan satrap contrasts with the bravery of the youth of that country who are trying to bring democracy to Morocco.
