Rif identity and the Hirak: a legacy of resistance

Abstract

This article analyses the Hirak movement in Morocco’s Rif through a collective memory lens situated within social movement theory. Drawing on twenty-three in-depth interviews with activists conducted between July and September 2022, the study reveals that although the movement initially galvanised around the specific death incident of the fish vendor Mohsin Fikri, it soon evolved into a broader protest addressing socioeconomic inequalities and longstanding regional grievances. This article argues that historical memory in the Rif functioned not merely as a symbolic reference to the past but as an active mechanism of political mobilisation, shaping collective identity, framing injustice, and sustaining protest beyond the initial trigger event. By foregrounding activists’ narratives, this study advances existing Hirak scholarship beyond predominantly state- and discourse-centric analyses and demonstrates how regionally embedded traditions of resistance contributed to the movement’s persistence over several months.