Morocco protests fill Casablanca streets

Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets in Morocco’s largest city, Casablanca.The rally, organised by trade unions, was believed to be the biggest since a new government took office in January.Those taking part accused Prime Minister Benkirane of failing to deliver promised reforms.Morocco’s King Mohammed VI managed to hold off Arab Spring protests last year by curbing his powers and pledging a raft of reforms.In November, polls brought to power a coalition government led by the Justice and Development Party, a moderate Islamist party, but many are frustrated over the pace of change in a country plagued by high unemployment and illiteracy rates.“There are more than 50,000 people who are demonstrating to call on the government to start a genuine dialogue addressing our country’s social ills,” opposition Socialist MP Hassan Tariq said on Sunday.“The trade unions are united and the message to the Benkirane government is clear: he needs to change his strategy,” he told AFP news agency.Social conditionsAn official put the number of demonstrators at between 15,000 and 20,000, according to AFP news agency