RABAT: Moroccan women protested outside parliament yesterday demanding the resignation of Islamist premier Abdelilah Benkirane after he urged women to stay at home and look after their families.
“Benkirane get out! Morocco is not for you!” were some of the slogans chanted by the protesters, who numbered about 100, and also waved placards and frying pans.
NGOs and opposition parties have condemned the prime minister’s comments, with some accusing him of blaming Morocco’s social problems on a “deterioration in moral values” that resulted from women working.
Amina Benameir, one of the protesters at yesterday’s demonstration, called his speech “irresponsible”, and accused the prime minister of swimming against the tide of history.
Gender equality is enshrined in the new constitution introduced by King Mohamed VI in 2011 in a bid to defuse Arab Spring protests.
AFP
