DOHA, Qatar (IPS/Al Jazeera) — Thousands poured into the
streets of Rabat on Sunday Jun. 5 to condemn the death of a protester and to
demand an end to the country-wide government crackdown on peaceful
demonstrations.

“We are here today to protest the murder of Khaled
al-Amari,” said a 40-year-old Rabat resident who did not give her name out
of fear of the authorities. “But we are also here because we demand
dignity, democracy and freedom. This repression must end.”

Last Thursday, 30-year-old Khaled al-Amari, a member of
Morocco’s main opposition group, died after reportedly suffering a severe
beating at the hands of police during a protest in the city of Safi. Officers
deny that his death was a direct result of police violence, despite eyewitness
accounts that he was severely beaten.

Police violence against peaceful demonstrators in Morocco
has exploded in recent weeks, in what protesters say is a significant
escalation of government repression.

The swelling crowd proceeded from the Old City down Muhammed
VI Avenue, many holding pictures of Khaled al-Amari’s beaten face. Protesters
chanted: “Down with despotism. We want freedom and dignity,” and
“peace, peace, freedom is coming,” as they made their way to
parliament. At many points in the march, protesters clasped each other’s hands,
sat down in the street, or waved peace signs in the air.

“We are demanding democracy and dignity,” declared
Mohammed Aghmaj. “The police are not being violent today because there was
a martyr. But we know they have been violent in the past,” he said,
referring to the relative calm at the demonstration.

Coercing protesters and journalists

The protesters are part of what has been termed the February
20 Movement, led largely by young people demanding pro-democracy reforms and an
end to government corruption and repression — as well as an end to poverty and
inequality. Launched on February 20 this year, the protests have swelled in
conjunction with the so-called “Arab Spring” protests and revolutions
sweeping the Middle East and North Africa. Gatherings continue regularly,
culminating weekly in coordinated demonstrations throughout the country.

Many believe that the recent escalation in violence is meant
to quash mass mobilizations before the July 1 referendum on reforming the
constitution. The referendum itself was a concession offered by King Muhammed
VI to the February 20 Movement protesters. “Police have been given orders
to break protesters’ legs and heads,” said Mohamed Elboukili, from the
Moroccan human rights organization Association Marocaine des Droits Humains
[“Morrocan Association of Human Rights”]. “This is a very
dangerous situation.”

Police violence against protests in several cities
throughout Morocco on the past two Sundays have garnered international
attention, with several images of police beatings captured on video.
“According to the law, police must ask people to leave three times and
give time for this,” explains Elboukili. “But the police don’t do
this. They charge and beat people. In our opinion, this does not respect the
right to peacefully demonstrate.”

Police violence has been accompanied by a crackdown on
journalists. Last month, Al Jazeera was forced by the Moroccan government to
cease broadcast operations in Rabat, with a ban on all land and satellite
transmitters.

Furthermore, Rachid Nini, editor of Morocco’s el-Massa
newspaper, who has been outspoken against government corruption, was jailed for
writing articles critical of Morocco’s security services and counter- terrorism
law. Amnesty International has condemned the jailing as “a severe attack
on freedom of expression.” 
Last Wednesday, dozens of his supporters gathered in downtown Rabat to
demand that the government release him.

The king’s repressive tactics

The Association Marocaine des Droits Humains has received
reports that police have started paying house visits to protest organizers’
homes, telling them they should not attend protests. “Now they are
intimidating and watching people,” says Elboukili. “The police are
making their presence known.”

This approach contrasts sharply with police treatment of
pro-monarchy demonstrators on Sunday, May 29. At midday, a pro-monarchy rally
on Muhammad V Avenue in front of the parliament chanted slogans supporting the
king, with many attendees holding his portrait.

The crowd went undisturbed by police, who hung back
leisurely at the outskirts. Journalists were allowed to roam freely, marking a
drastic distinction from February 20 Movement protests, where journalists
covered demonstrations at considerable personal risk from the police.

One attendee, a Rabat native in his mid-fifties who did not
give his name, explained: “This demonstration has a permit, unlike the
other demonstrations,” in reference to mobilizations of the February 20
movement.

This comes on the heels of Saudi Arabia’s invitation to
Morocco to join what has been termed the “club of kings,”  the Gulf Cooperation Council, intended
to protect the interests of monarchs against the “Arab Spring”
uprisings throughout the region. While Morocco is a constitutional monarchy on
paper, in practice, power is consolidated in the hands of the king, who can
nominate and dismiss the prime minister and cabinet, dissolve parliament  and levy emergency powers.

Muhammad VI is a close ally of the United States, which
exports arms to the Moroccan government, reportedly to maintain its military
occupation in Western Sahara. Muhammad VI has attracted praise from the Obama
administration for his alleged moderation and embrace of democratic reforms.

“Things need to change in my country,” said a
35-year-old Casablanca resident who spoke on condition of anonymity. “This
repression makes me fear for my children. We need so many things, we need
education and freedom and an end to poverty. The people of Morocco are
demanding change. We will not tolerate this repression.”