Thousands of protesters are seen clapping and chanting in a social media video said to be shot in the Moroccan capital Rabat on Sunday after a fishmonger in the northern town of Al-Hoceima was crushed to death inside a garbage truck as he tried to retrieve fish confiscated by police.
Mouhcine Fikri had fish confiscated by police on Friday after he bought it at the port. Local authorities have banned swordfish sales this season. Local media and authorities said that, in a desperate bid to recover the fish, Fikri jumped inside the trash truck that police used to destroy confiscated fish, and he was caught inside the crusher.
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Massive protests in Morocco after death of fishmonger0:31

Hotbed of dissent

Protests were held in Al-Hoceima and other towns in Rif region, long seen as a hotbed of dissent, and also in Casablanca and Rabat, where protesters gathered chanting "Mouhcine was murdered, Makhzen is to blame" in a reference to the royal establishment and its allies.
The death prompted a frenzy of angry postings on social media against "Hogra," a Maghreb term referring to official abuse and injustice. Sunday's rallies were called by activists from the February 20 movement, which organized demonstrations during the Arab unrest of 2011.
In an effort to calm tensions, King Mohamed — currently on a tour of Africa — ordered the interior minister to visit the victim's family and present royal condolences. The interior and justice ministries also promised an investigation.

Monarch still strong

Such large-scale protests are rare in Morocco, where the king still holds ultimate sway. Morocco calmed Arab Spring-style protests in 2011 with reforms, spending and tougher security, while leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya were swept from power.
Fikri's death has echoes of how Tunisia's uprising began in 2011, triggering similar revolts across the region after a young man set himself on fire in desperation because police confiscated fruit and vegetables he was selling.
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Protesters wave the Amazigh (Berber) flag as they shout slogans in the northern city of Al-Hoceima on Oct. 30, 2016. (Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images)
Activists accused police officers of ordering garbage men to crush Fikri, but the Moroccan police (DGSN) denied those accusations in a statement on Sunday. Moroccan authorities heavily police protests, nervous over popular unrest since the 2011 protests.
During those protests, the king devolved some of his authority to an elected government in a constitutional reform.
Governments in North Africa are wary of protests tapping into pent-up frustrations among unemployed youth. Tunisia has seen rioting twice this year in its south over jobs, and unions are warning against the government's new austerity plans.

@adepeace