Moroccans staged protests across the country Sunday Oct 30,2016 against police abuse after a fisherman was crushed to death in a garbage truck — an incident some are comparing to the death of a Tunisian vendor in 2010 that sparked the Arab Spring uprisings.
According to Moroccan news website Le360.ma and magazine TelQuel, local police confiscated and destroyed Mouhcine Fikri's swordfish, which isn't allowed to be fished during this time of the season. Footage circulating online appears to show Fikri jumping into a garbage truck to retrieve his fish, before being crushed to death by the truck's compactor.Fikri's death Friday in the northern city of Hoceima has drawn outrage on Moroccan social media, and calls for protests in several cities over what is seen as police violence. King Mohammed VI called for a thorough investigation.
The General Directorate for National Security released a statement denying its local officers were involved in Fikri's death. Authorities haven't commented on the circumstances of his death.
The Interior Ministry said in a statement Sunday that King Mohammed VI asked Interior Minister Mohammed Hassad to personally visit Fikri's family and to ensure a "meticulous" investigation.
The Moroccan Human Rights Association condemned the "heinous" incident and recalled another incident in Hoceima, in which five youths died during 2011 protests of the February 20th Movement.
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