Hirak Rif Movement

Hirak Rif / Amussu n Arrif
Date	28 October 2016 (2016-10-28) – ongoing
Location	Rif region, northern Morocco.
Caused by	Murder of Mohcine Fikri. Police brutality Ill-governance. Abduction of Nasser Zefzafi and subsequent arrest of 150 other activists. Widespread corruption High unemployment Usage of palace thugs to counter demonstration and incite violence and racist messages to scare people from solidarity with the Rif.
Goals	Release of political prisoners. Serious inquiry and trial of those responsible for the death of Mohcine Fikri. Demilitarisation of the Rif region. Construction of regional cancer hospital and university. Stopping of corrupt tourism/real estate project instigated by the king his Emirati associates.
Methods	Mass Demonstrations Civil disobedience Online activism Demonstrations in front of Moroccan consulates/embassies in Spain, Netherlands and Belgium. Boycott of king-owned supermarket chain Marjane and diaspora calling for the boycott of king-owned bank Attijariwafa Bank.
Status	ongoing
Concessions	None. King sent various delegations composed of his ministers, which supposedly signifies his attention to the demands according to palace-media, who also reported the king intention of spending a vacation in Al Hoceima in the summer as sign of "satisfaction".
Casualties
Death(s)	At least one died in Imzouren.
Injuries	Numerous during the protests violent repression, but unaccounted for because of palace-imposed media blockade.

The popular movement in the Rif, commonly known as Hirak Rif or Amussu n Arrif, (Berber languages: ⴰⵎⵓⵙⵙⵓ ⴰⵖⵔⴼⴰⵏ ⵏ ⴰⵔⵔⵉⴼ, Amussu agherfan n Arrif, Arabic: الحراك الشعبي في الريف, al-Hirak ash-Shaabi fi Rif) is a protest movement that swept the berber Rif region in Northern Morocco since October 2016, as a result of the murder of Mohcine Fikri, the fishmonger who was crushed in a garbage van on orders from local authorities who confiscated his merchandise.

The protest movement was met with violent repression from the Moroccan regime with many violent clashes between polices and protesters in various localities, such as Al Hoceima, Imzouren, Midar, and led to the arrest of more than 150 people, seen by the regime as protagonosits/leaders or media activits in the movement, including the violent abduction of Nasser Zefzafi, the leading and popular movement figure on 29 May 2017, in a beach near Al Hoceima.

Context

In October 28th, 2016, in the city of Al Hoceima, Mohcine Fikri, a 31-year-old fish seller, who was crushed to death in a rubbish bin on 28 October 2016, after trying to recover his confiscated merchandise . This tragical death has led to a set of protests that became regualrly held and included more and more demands. The protests were led by the activist Nasser Zefzafi.

The demands

The popular movement has a list of economic, social and cultural demands. The list of demands is the ground of the protests and includes :

• Building a university
• Building more schools
• Building an hospital in the region

Repression

The 29 May 2017, Nasser Zefzafi was arrested in Al Hoceima . Following this arrest came hundred others . Following these arrests, daily protests began in Al Hoceima, Imzouren and other neighboring cities demanding the release of Zefzafi and the other activists.

See also

• Nasser Zefzafi
• 2011–12 Moroccan protests