"Some troublemakers forced their way into a customs building and stole drugs and alcohol," Interior Minister Tayeb Cherkaoui said.

At a news conference on Feb. 21, Cherkaoui said 128 people, most of them police, were injured. He said 120 people were arrested during the protests, which demanded a significant reduction in the power of the king.

The demonstrations were said to have been the largest in Morocco. Organizers said the new opposition movement, called "Feb. 20," recruited through such communications tools as Facebook and Twitter.

The opposition campaign has been joined by Islamic groups. They were said to have included the banned Justice and Charity movement as well as left-wing parliamentarians.

The campaign has also won the support of the king's cousin, Prince Moulay Hisham El Alawi, an instructor at Stanford University and said to be third in line to the throne. Moulay, who has long called for a constitutional democracy, sent a message to the protesters.

"I'm for any initiative that calls for democratising our political system, provided it is done peacefully and with tolerance," Moulay said. "It appears that this movement fulfils these conditions and so I support it."

---