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<v Speaker 1>On this Day and Working Cross History the nineteenth of January.

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<v Speaker 1>On the nineteenth of January nineteen eighty four, protests began

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<v Speaker 1>in the Riff area of northern Morocco against the introduction

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<v Speaker 1>of baccalaureate subscription fees in public schools, which was mandated

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<v Speaker 1>by a structural adjustment program imposed by the International Monetary Fund.

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<v Speaker 1>Protesters were also motivated by a sixty seven percent increase

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<v Speaker 1>in the cost of staple food items like oil, butter,

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<v Speaker 1>and sugar. Students in the predominantly Amazig also known as

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<v Speaker 1>Berber region were joined by workers and the unemployed in

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<v Speaker 1>days of protests, which were met by violent repression from

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<v Speaker 1>the regime of Hassan the Second, who described the poor

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<v Speaker 1>people of the Riff as or bashed, meaning savages or scum.

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<v Speaker 1>Troops killed and jailed hundreds for repressing the movement, which

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<v Speaker 1>the government blamed on Communists, Zionists and Iran. But on

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<v Speaker 1>twenty second of January, Hassan was forced to reverse the

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<v Speaker 1>price increases. The sources maps and all of our anniversaries

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<v Speaker 1>each day check out the on This Day section of

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<v Speaker 1>our stories at at stories stopworkingclasshistory.

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<v Speaker 2>Dot com and if you value our work, support us

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<v Speaker 2>at Patreon dot com slash working class history links in

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<v Speaker 2>the show notes. The music by See You Tomorrow,