Clashes in Tunisia on anniversary of end of former regime
Al Mayadeen correspondent in Tunisia reports that confrontations took place between demonstrators and security forces in the capital.
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Tunisian security forces in the capital Tunis
Confrontations took place between security forces and demonstrators in Tunis, Tunisia, as the police tried to disperse demonstrators gathered to commemorate the anniversary of the end of the former Tunisian regime, Al Mayadeen correspondent reported Friday.
Some demonstrators sat on the floor to block the passage of police vehicles in Habib Bourguiba Street, our correspondent added, noting that the security forces are trying to isolate protesters and push them away from the main street in the capital.
The security forces arrested several demonstrators in Tunis, and their violent means of dispersing the marches and demonstrations led to many demonstrators passing out.
The demonstrators gathered in Habib Bourguiba St. are calling for freedom and not returning to a police state, Al Mayadeen correspondent reported, adding that the situation suggests that demonstrators will soon call for accountability, which will lead to state-wide protests demanding that.
#تونس تجمع لمحتجين ضد سياسات الرئيس قيس سعيّد على مستوى شارع محمد الخامس بالعاصمة
— Ultra Tunisia الترا تونس (@ultra_tunisia) January 14, 2022
(مصدر الصور: هيثم المدوري/ الترا تونس) pic.twitter.com/4T3xGD6D4Z
Tunisian author and journalist Mourad Alala said the manner in which the security apparatuses handled the situation was very flawed and involved a lot of violence.
President Kais Saied needs to "understand the message from what happened today," Alala told Al Mayadeen.
Several people had drones and large amounts of money for 'rioters'
The Tunisian Interior Ministry announced arresting six people in Tunis who had intended to "give out tens of thousands of dinars to outlaws as an incentive to riot and sabotage." The security forces caught two people who had drones and some 94,000 dinars.
Several opposition parties, including the Ennahda Movement or the Renaissance Party, are protesting against the measures of President Kais Saied when he dismissed the government and suspended parliament. His actions were labeled a coup by some, receiving criticism and putting Saied under fire.
Hours ahead of the demonstrations, the Tunisian police set up checkpoints and roadblocks in the area surrounding the capital's main street, which was home to the 2011 demonstrations that paved the way for democracy in Tunisia.
Dozens of police vehicles were parked in the area, and the security apparatuses set up water cannons outside the ministry of interior and other government buildings.
