Gdeim Izik protest camp

Gdeim Izik protest camp
Gdeim Izik protest camp
	The Gdeim Izik protest camp in late October 2010.
Date	9 October – 8 November 2010
Location	Western Sahara
Caused by	Discrimination of local citizens,; Poverty,; Human rights abuses
Methods	Demonstrations, protest camp, rioting
Parties
Sahrawi protestors	Moroccan government and security forces
Casualties and losses
3 Sahrawi civilians dead (Moroccan claim) 36 Sahrawi civilians dead (Polisario claim) 1200 Sahrawi protestors injured	11 Morocco police officers dead(Moroccan claim) 173 Morocco officials injured

The Gdeim Izik protest camp (also spelled Gdayam Izik) was a protest camp in Western Sahara, established on 9 October 2010 and lasting into November that year, with related incidents occurring in the aftermath of its dismantlement on 8 November. The primary focus of the protests was against "ongoing discrimination, poverty and human rights abuses against local citizens".

While protests were initially peaceful, they were later marked by clashes between Sahrawi civilians and Moroccan security forces. Some referred to the protests as the Third Sahrawi Intifada,^[1] following the First and the Second Sahrawi Intifadas.

Political activist Noam Chomsky has suggested that the month-long protest encampment at Gdeim Izik constituted the start of the Arab Spring,^[2]^[3] while most sources consider the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia on 17 December 2010 to be the actual start.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]

^ Elliana Bisgaard-Church. Sahrawis Campaign for Independence in the Second Intifada, Western Sahara, 2005-2008. "In what has been called the beginning of the third Sahrawi intifada, on 9 October 2010 activists created Gdeim Izik camp in al-'Ayun as a form of protest against Moroccan occupation." [1] Archived 14 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine. 27 November 2011.
^ "'The Genie Is Out of the Bottle': Assessing a Changing Arab World with Noam Chomsky and Al Jazeera's Marwan Bishara". Democracy Now!. 17 February 2011. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
^ Bernabé López García (7 February 2011). "Las barbas en remojo". El País. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
^ Engelhart, Katie (27 May 2011). "Why We Should Prepare for the Arab Spring to Fail". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
^ Mayer, Catherine (24 April 2011). "The Slap that Triggered the Arab Spring 'Was Impossible'". Time. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
^ McLaughlin, Eliot (26 April 2011). "Collective courage fuels protests across Arab world". CNN. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
^ Day, Elizabeth (15 May 2011). "The slap that sparked a revolution". The Guardian. London. The Observer. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2011.

[1] Elliana Bisgaard-Church. Sahrawis Campaign for Independence in the Second Intifada, Western Sahara, 2005-2008. "In what has been called the beginning of the third Sahrawi intifada, on 9 October 2010 activists created Gdeim Izik camp in al-'Ayun as a form of protest against Moroccan occupation." [1] Archived 14 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine. 27 November 2011.

[2] "'The Genie Is Out of the Bottle': Assessing a Changing Arab World with Noam Chomsky and Al Jazeera's Marwan Bishara". Democracy Now!. 17 February 2011. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2011.

[3] Bernabé López García (7 February 2011). "Las barbas en remojo". El País. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2011.

[4] Engelhart, Katie (27 May 2011). "Why We Should Prepare for the Arab Spring to Fail". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2011.

[5] Mayer, Catherine (24 April 2011). "The Slap that Triggered the Arab Spring 'Was Impossible'". Time. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2011.

[6] McLaughlin, Eliot (26 April 2011). "Collective courage fuels protests across Arab world". CNN. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2011.

[7] Day, Elizabeth (15 May 2011). "The slap that sparked a revolution". The Guardian. London. The Observer. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2011.

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