About 6,000 Moroccans march through Casablanca calling for greater democracy

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About 6,000 Moroccans march through Casablanca calling for greater democracy

By Schemm, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – 1 hour 23 minutes

ago

CASABLANCA, Morocco - Thousands marched through Morocco's largest city on Sunday

calling for greater democracy and an end to corruption even as the king prepares

to unveil new constitutional amendments to address calls for reform.

There was only a light police presence blocking off traffic as about 6,000

protesters flowed through the wide streets of downtown Casablanca chanting

slogans against the government. Past demonstrations had been violently

dispersed.

The march showed the continuing viability of the February 20 pro-democracy

movement, even as the king's own constitutional reform process seeks to co-opt

many of their demands.

" In Morocco we learned something, never trust the Makhzen, " said demonstrator

Kamel Reda, referring to the government and the king's advisers. " We don't

believe them out of experience. "

Unlike the popular uprisings sweeping other Arab countries, Morocco's activists

are not calling for the king's ouster, just a limiting of his powers and

changing the country into a constitutional monarchy.

On March 9, the king acknowledged protester demands and ordered a panel of

experts to modify the constitution to limit his powers, strengthen the judiciary

and promote greater democracy.

The February 20 movement expressed skepticism at the process, noting that the

king had appointed the constitutional committee and so the activists refused to

participate in the process.

On Friday, the king was presented the new constitution and it was shown to

political party leaders. Though its contents have not been made public, media

accounts suggest many of its provisions meet protesters' demands.

But Sunday's demonstrators remained deeply skeptical of the new constitution

because of the way it had been drawn up, and many of the slogans chanted called

for greater popular input into reform.

Jihad Oufaraji, a 34-year-old activist, said that while he had heard the new

constitution had some good elements to it, there was still the whole overarching

power structure that had to be changed.

" We need to clean up the country of the thieves and take back the money they are

sending out of the country, " he said as marchers chanted behind him.

Many protesters carried pictures of Kamal Amari, a 30-year-old member of the

February 20 movement who died in a hospital on June 2 after allegedly being

beaten by police at a protest a few days earlier in the city of Safi, south of

Casablanca.

The official coroner's report maintains he died from heart and respiratory

troubles from a pre-existing condition — something his parents deny. Pictures of

a bruised face bearing the slogan " we are all Kamal Amari " were everywhere in

the march.

A similar slogan was used after the death at police hands in Egypt of young

businessman Khaled Said, which helped spark the popular uprising that a few

months later brought down the president.

Since Amari's death, Moroccan police have refrained from violently dispersing

demonstrations as had been their earlier policy.