Rabat: Unemployed Teachers' Demo Attacked by Police

Today a group of several hundred unemployed people, mostly teachers, from the ANDCM (National Association of Unemployed Graduates in Morocco) held a protest in front of the Moroccan parliament in Rabat. It was also joined by a group of students. The demo was dispersed by rioting police several times, but protestors came back with street blockades. Police attacked the peaceful protestors, mostly beating them in a brutal manner. The action was cut short by thunderstorms.

The unemployed have been protesting for the creation of more jobs in the public sector, in this case, in particular for teachers.

One civilian has been killed and several others wounded in Tunisia following a clash with police who opened fire on protesters in a central Tunisian town.

An interior ministry spokesperson said police in Bouziane, 240km south of the capital Tunis, had been forced to "shoot in self-defence" after shots into the air failed to disperse scores of protesters who were setting police cars and buildings ablaze on Friday.

Mohamed Fadel, leader of the Secondary Education Union, identified the dead teenager.

"Mohamed Ammari was killed by a bullet in the chest when police opened fire, while many other protesters were wounded," Fadel told the Reuters news agency.

"Police have now taken control of the situation ... There is a quasi-curfew in the city."

Rioters had barricaded a police station during the unrest, and used Molotov cocktails to torch the building and some police cars, officials said in a statement carried by the official TAP news agency.