CASABLANCA, Morocco, (Reuters) – Thousands of rival demonstrators marched through cities in Morocco yesterday over constitutional reforms proposed by King Mohammed after unrest inspired by “Arab Spring” uprisings in the Arab world.
Critics of the reforms say they do not go far enough to reduce his powers. The march against the monarch’s measures was the latest in a wave of protests in the North African state and comes days before a July 1 referendum on the reform plan.
“We reject the offers made (by the king). They keep the essence of authority in the hands of a non-elected person who will not be subject to any form of accountability,” said Hamid, a jobless 38-year-old among 7,000 protesters who marched through a working class suburb of Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city.
Aziz Yaakoubi, a member of the “February 20” pro-democracy street movement named after its founding date, said two of the protesters were injured after being pelted with stones by a group of rival demonstrators in favour of the king’s reform.
