Thousands Demand Justice For Dead Morocco Fishmonger

RABAT, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Nov, 2016 ) : Thousands protested in north Morocco on Friday to demand justice for a fishmonger whose grisly death when he was crushed in a garbage truck sparked outrage nationwide.

Mouhcine Fikri, 31, died last month in the city of Al-Hoceima as he tried to protest against the seizure and destruction of swordfish, which are not allowed to be caught at this time of year. His death in the Rif -- an ethnically Berber region long neglected and at the heart of a 2011 protest movement for reform -- triggered protests nationwide.

"Rest, Mouhcine. We will continue the fight!" crowds chanted on Friday, according to footage streamed live on social media. Protesters including many young people marched through the northern city's streets, carrying candles and flowers, and waving Berber flags.

"Long live the Amazigh," they cried, referring to Morocco's Berber community. "Down with hogra," protesters shouted, using a Moroccan term used to denounce what they see as the unfairness of authorities towards ordinary Moroccans.

Protest organisers demanded to know who was responsible for starting up the rubbish truck's crushing mechanism on October 28, killing Fikri. King Mohammed VI was quick to order an investigation, but it remains unclear who activated the crusher.

Authorities last week arrested 11 people suspected of involuntary manslaughter over Fikri's death and remanded eight in custody. They included two interior ministry employees, two fisheries officials, the head of the local veterinary services and three rubbish collection workers.