We need hospitals more than football stadiums, say Morocco's young protesters
2 hours ago Share Save Hajar Chaffag Share Save
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Morocco is currently building what will be the globe's largest football stadium in preparation for co-hosting the 2030 World Cup. But for the demonstrators who have taken to the streets each night across the country since last Saturday, this 115,000-capacity showpiece and all the other football infrastructure in development, costing a reported $5bn (£3.7bn), are an affront - an example of a government that has got its priorities wrong. "I am protesting because I want my country to be better. I don't want to leave Morocco, and I don't want to resent my country for choosing to stay," says Hajar Belhassan, a 25-year-old communications manager from Settat, 80km (50 miles) south of Casablanca. A group called Gen Z 212 - the number is a reference to the country's international dialling code - has been coordinating the demonstrations through the gaming and streaming platform Discord, as well as TikTok and Instagram.
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