Aziz Elbeghiti is part of the unemployed graduates movement that is occupying the area outside an annex of the Ministry of Education in Rabat.

Since the movement began two weeks ago, it hasn’t been difficult to find enough people to keep the protest going. But Wednesday, when some unemployed graduates came to give the protesters food and water, the authorities violently intervened, preventing the protesters from receiving the refreshments. In protest, three people from the group set themselves on fire [according to the Human Rights Office, there were five. Two of them are now in critical condition while the other three suffered minor injuries]. And the police just stood there watching.

I graduated in July 2011. Unfortunately the 2011 graduates have been excluded, for no apparent reason, from the agreement signed on July 20, 2011. We won’t be hired by the public sector. We’re against a system based on favoritism and networking, and its lack of transparency. [Editor’s note: According to the Moroccan Organisation for Human Rights, jobs usually go to young graduates who have contacts within political parties. Although some 2011 graduates have been hired, the organization says there are no clear reasons why they were chosen over others.]

At the beginning of the movement, Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane came to see us and promised to sort out our situation, but nothing has been done. Another demonstration has been planned for this afternoon. We want to get to the bottom of why we’ve been excluded from this agreement and to demand to be hired immediately by the public sector.”