A dramatic protest atop a water tower in the rural commune of Oulad Youssef, Beni Mellal province, ended in violence Friday night after the 45-year-old protester threw himself from the structure with a rope around his neck, in what authorities have described as an “escalatory and dangerous” act.
According to local officials, the man was rushed to Beni Mellal’s regional hospital in critical condition and remains in intensive care.
The standoff had drawn ongoing efforts from local authorities, human rights representatives, and family members, all attempting to persuade the man to end his solo protest. He had been demanding further investigation into the suspicious death of his father, which he reportedly believes was a murder.
Tensions escalated sharply when the man feigned illness to lure civil defense officers to the top of the tower.
Once there, he reportedly assaulted one of them with a sharp object, restrained him, and pushed him from the structure. The officer sustained serious fractures and underwent emergency surgery.
Security forces, including the Royal Gendarmerie, were deployed to defuse the situation. But efforts to intervene were met with fierce resistance, as the protester hurled stones and used improvised weapons, before he ultimately jumped from the tower.
A judicial investigation has been opened under the supervision of the public prosecutor to determine the circumstances behind the incident and to assess the legal responsibility for the protester’s actions.
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