Fact Check: Viral Video of Woman Assaulted by Police in Morocco Protests

Debunking Viral Footage of Police Assault

• ❌ A viral video allegedly showing an elderly woman assaulted by security forces during recent protests in Morocco has been decontextualized.
• 📅 This footage is not recent; it was posted in December 2017 and shows an incident in Tangier where a woman was pushed by an auxiliary force member after inquiring about a detained relative, resulting in a head injury.
• 🔍 Moroccan media at the time reported an investigation was launched into the 2017 incident.

Misattributed Footage of Cemetery Protests

• ❌ Another video circulating online, claimed to show protesters using cemeteries to avoid security forces, is also falsely linked to current demonstrations.
• 📅 This footage was actually published in September during the funeral of Ahmed Zev Zafi, father of activist Nasa Zevzafi.
• ✊ Nasa Zevzafi was a leading activist in the Iraq movement (2016-2017), a wave of protests against corruption and unemployment, and the video showed people demanding the release of detained activists.

Current Protests in Morocco

• 📣 Youth-led protests, organized by the collective Gen Zed 212, are ongoing in Morocco, calling for improved social services and less corruption.
• ⚠️ While initially peaceful, violent clashes have occurred between demonstrators and security forces, with reports of protesters hurling stones and accusations of arbitrary arrests and assaults by security forces.
• ⚖️ In response to the unrest, the Moroccan government held an emergency session and vowed to respond positively to the protesters' demands.