°®Âþµº

On 7 January, Moroccan security forces violently dispersed several peaceful protests across the country, causing dozens of severe injuries among teacher trainees.

Some protesters had serious head injuries that required emergency medical attention.

In Inezgane, on the outskirts of Agadir, police attacked peaceful demonstrators with rubber batons and wooden clubs, and in some cases threw stones at them, witnesses told .

According to the , the police crackdown injured 100 people in Inezgane, 20 in Marrakech, eight in Tangiers and 40 in Casablanca, including some who were seriously injured.

The day was later referred to in the media as "black Thursday".

Shocking images of the assault went viral on social media, sparking outrage and drawing local and international condemnations, with many people denouncing the excessive use of force by the police.

Photos provided by activists show a police officer in anti-riot gear beating a woman in a red headscarf and a white lab coat as she sits on the ground.

"Clubbing and tossing stones at peaceful demonstrators would fall well outside the realm of lawful means of dispersing a peaceful demonstration," Eric Goldstein, deputy Middle East and North Africa director of Human Rights Watch, said on Monday.

"The Moroccan authorities should make sure the police and security forces don't use unnecessary violence against demonstrators and to hold accountable anyone who does."

Contradicting statements

Last week, Interior Minister Mohammad Hassad spoke about the teacher trainees' protests at a parliament session, vowing to prevent any future protests.

"[Security forces] were left no choice but to use force after having warned protesters to leave," he added.

According to Hassad, the security intervention and dispersal of the protests were ordered by Benkirane.

However, Benkirane contradicted the statement when he said he was not aware of what happened until he called the interior minister.

To end the debate, Moroccan communications minister and government spokesperson Mustapha Khalfi said that the government took responsibility for the events.

Unauthorised protests

During last week's parliamentary session, Hassad also emphasised that the teacher trainees' protests were "unauthorised" and had to be stopped as they "posed a danger to citizens".

A source at the teachers' National Coordination Committee spoke to Moroccan website  about the legality of the protest movement, and whether the organisers had obtained the necessary permits.

"The teacher trainees' protests are peaceful, and following the legal path would lead us into a maze," the source said, adding that the committee insisted on going through with the protests.

Organisers of the nationwide movement told Human Rights Watch they did not formally notify the authorities of the protests as they were certain the government would not grant approval.

Under Moroccan law, organisers of demonstrations on public streets are required to notify local administrative authorities at least three days in advance and must obtain a stamped receipt of acknowledgement from the authorities.

Protests will continue

The protests, which initially came in response to calls by the NCC, have evolved into sit-ins at training centres across the country.

In response, the interior ministry has adopted a new plan to deal with the ongoing protests in a "softer manner", according to Assabah newspaper.

The new approach includes deploying female police officers on the frontlines, as well as using water cannons to disperse the protests.

But Khalfi reiterated the government's calls for the teacher trainees to return to their training programmes - in order to avoid risking their post-graduation employment prospects.