When bus drivers in Fez joined a nationwide general strike called by Morocco's two major labor unions earlier this month, government officials thought they had a simple remedy: they put soldiers and police officers behind the wheel.
That proved unwise. First, a group of youths began to stone the strikebreakers; then the violence escalated. An angry mob of 20,000 -- mostly unemployed young people -- went on a rampage. They ransacked and set fire to the five-star Hotel Merenids, torched limousines, looted boutiques and banks. Soon disturbances spread to several other towns, including the capital, Rabat. Some witnesses reported that police...
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