[Onthebarricades] Morocco: protests against water prices, living costs

[Andy]

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2006/December/theworld_December646.xml&section=theworld&col=

Moroccans march to protest rising cost of living
(Reuters)

24 December 2006 



RABAT - Thousands of Moroccans took to the streets of the capital Rabat on Sunday for a demonstration organised by left-wing and consumer-advocacy groups to complain about rising living costs. 


The march was the latest sign of growing anger over rising prices of transport, basic foodstuffs, water and electricity in the country of 30 million, where an estimated 14 percent of people live in poverty.

The demonstrators chanted slogans such as 'Don't touch my bread' and 'No to privatisation' and waved banners reading: 'Don't touch citizens' buying power'.

'We understand the rise in fuel prices as Morocco doesn't produce its own oil, but if we are a farming country why do we pay so much for vegetables?' said Hassan, a taxi driver.

The organisers -- a group formed this year called the Alliance Against Price Increases -- said 12,000 people turned out for the demonstration, but police said the number was no higher than 6,000.

Sporadic protests have erupted in recent months in Morocco's largest cities over increases in household bills.

Protests against utilities company Lyonnaise des Eaux de Casablanca (Lydec) won a concession from the firm to trim prices for low-income consumers.

Lydec is controlled by French utility company Suez and since 1997 has managed the water and electricity supplies for Casablanca, Morocco's business hub and its most populous city with over three million inhabitants.

The government, which subsidises fuel and many essential foodstuffs to make them more affordable for the population, has said it may reverse some price increases.  
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