Water cannons used by Moroccan police to stop teachers' protest

Moroccan police used water cannons to disperse a protest of thousands of young teachers in Rabat, the capital, on Thursday, according to witnesses and a video posted online. Teachers have been staging a series of protests and striking to demand an end to renewable contracts in favour of permanent jobs that offer civil service benefits, including a better retirement pension.

The Education Ministry said last month that teachers who had instigated a strike would be fired along with trainees who joined them, further enraging them. Morocco, which has avoided the turmoil seen by other countries during and after the Arab Spring of 2011, regularly sees protests, though they rarely draw several thousands or involve confrontations with police.