HIBAPRESS – Abdellatif Baraka
The manifestations of unrest associated with some shisha cafes in the city of Agadir, which operate at night until the early morning hours, continue, in a phenomenon that has sparked widespread controversy among the residents, especially with the successive incidents of violence inside or around these spaces, and raising urgent questions about the role of local authorities in monitoring these activities.
According to circulating data, a number of establishments, including G.GOLD and BROWN on Hassan II Street near the headquarters of the Souss-Massa region, in addition to cafes inside or adjacent to well-known hotels in the city, continue to receive customers until eight in the morning, in what is known as the "After" phenomenon, where the evenings continue after the closure of nightclubs. The same sources indicate that these spaces witness, in some cases, the possibility of consuming narcotic substances, in addition to organizing noisy evenings with the participation of singers who are specifically brought in for this purpose, which raises the level of tension and increases the likelihood of quarrels and acts of violence. In this context, a recent incident was documented inside the G.GOLD cafe at about 6:30 in the morning on the second day of Eid al-Fitr, where violent clashes broke out between a number of people, including minors, in a scene that aroused widespread resentment, and brought back to the forefront the risks of the continuation of these activities outside the legal controls. Observers consider that the repetition of such incidents reflects the lack of strict monitoring, both in terms of respecting closing times or safety conditions, which contributes to the spread of this type of establishment in a remarkable way, and turns some neighborhoods into hotbeds of tension during the late hours of the night. In contrast, local actors are demanding an urgent intervention by the local authorities and the need for coordination with the public information services, in order to enforce respect for the law, and tighten control over these spaces, in protection of public security, and to put an end to the state of unrest that has been worrying the residents, especially with the increasing fears of the involvement of minors in such events. These developments remain an indication of the need to reorganize the night sector in the city, in a way that balances the revitalization of economic and tourism life, and ensures respect for public order and the safety of citizens.
