Morocco tensions: 83 police, protesters injured in clashes

Activists hold a portrait of Silia, an arrested activist from the Moroccan northern town of Al Hoceima and an Amazigh flag, during a protest in support of ongoing anti-government protests taking place in the northern Rif region, in Rabat, Morocco, Monday, July 20, 2017. Protests erupted in the northern town of Hoceima last year after the gruesome death of a fisherman, and have now developed into a social and economic movement. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar) Activists hold a portrait of Silia, an arrested activist from the Moroccan northern town of Al Hoceima and an Amazigh flag, during a protest in support of ongoing anti-government protests taking place in the northern Rif region, in Rabat, Morocco, Monday, July 20, 2017. Protests erupted in the northern town of Hoceima last year after the gruesome death of a fisherman, and have now developed into a social and economic movement. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

By Associated Press July 20, 2017 2 min read

RABAT, Morocco (AP) – Clashes between police and Moroccan protesters Thursday left at least 83 injured in clouds of tear gas and running battles at an unauthorized demonstration over inequality and corruption.

Moroccans have in recent days demonstrated in Rabat and as far away as Amsterdam to show their support for the protesters who gathered Thursday in El Hoceima, a city that has become a symbol for rising public anger.

Their Hirak protest movement has become the biggest challenge to the kingdom, a key U.S. ally known for its stability, since the Arab Spring in 2011 overthrew longstanding regimes elsewhere in the region.

Moroccan activist leader Nasser Zefzafi called for a protest in El Hoceima on July 20 – the anniversary of an uprising against Spanish colonizers – before his arrest last month in a dramatic manhunt.

Authorities banned Thursday’s demonstration for administrative reasons, but crowds gathered anyway.