Violent protests against the cost of bread have prompted the Moroccan government to annul a 30% price hike linked to soaring global grain costs.
Protesters clashed with police and cars were torched and buildings damaged in the demonstrations on Sunday in Sefrou, 200km east of the capital, Rabat. About 300 people suffered injuries, Moroccan newspapers reported on Tuesday. The state news agency said more than 30 people were arrested.
The government held an emergency meeting on Monday, and Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa ordered the price hike cancelled, the Interior Ministry said.
Amid rising world prices for wheat, the government authorised a bread price rise of 30% on September 10, soon before the start of Ramadan. Moroccan consumption of breads and pastries rises sharply during the Muslim holy month, as families hold large feasts after sundown to break the all-day fast.
The decision prompted widespread complaints from consumers that peaked at Sunday’s protest, organised by the local branch of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights.
The protest degenerated into violence that left schools, stores and administrative buildings damaged and several cars burned, the provincial Governor, Mohamed Allouche, said.
The Moroccan Association for Human Rights, a well-established group operating since 1979 with branches around the country, has organised several sit-ins against food price rises over the past year.
The weekend protests raised the spectre of bread riots in 1981 that left hundreds dead in Casablanca. Those riots were prompted by the government’s decision to raise bread prices by 30%.
This year, wheat prices have soared worldwide amid rising demand and shrinking stocks. One reason is increasing demand for biofuels, which can be made from wheat. European consumers have seen prices rise sharply for breads, pasta and meat products as a result of rising grain costs. — Sapa-AP