Violence broke out in the central city of Kairouan and in the capital, Tunis. Clashes in the Tunis suburb of Ettadhamen erupted between nearly 500 supporters of Ansar al-Sharia and law enforcements as protesters started throwing stones. Teargas was also reportedly used in Kairouan, as Salafis threw stones at the police from behind the wall of a mosque.Group’s spokesman Seifeddine Rais, the group’s spokesman, was arrested at dawn on Sunday as he went jogging in front of police, according to a police source, who described his behavior as a “provocation,” Al Jazeera reported. The recent rally that turned violent comes two days after the government banned the Islamist group from holding its annual congress in the central city of Kairouan. On Friday the government ruled the group had “shown disdain for state institutions” and was “a threat to public security”.“The congress is postponed to another date undecided yet,” Habib Al-Lawz, a leader from the ruling Ennahda party, told a local Radio station on Saturday.Despite the ban, the group vowed the meeting would take place, but said they would gather at a different location, in an impoverished suburb of Tunis instead of Kairouan, where security forces were deployed in strength on Saturday. On its Facebook page, Ansar al-Sharia notified its supporters the congress has been moved to Ettadhamen. Earlier, the movement told to stay away from Kairouan.”To the attention of our brothers who are coming to Kairouan from other regions… the head of Ansar al-Sharia informs you of the need to cancel all these trips given the seriousness of the security situation,” the group said on its website. … Read More
Teargas and shots in air as Tunisian police clash with hundreds of Salafi protesters (VIDEO, PHOTOS)
Protestors call for resignation of official after she blames the family for a child’s rape in day care
Protesters on Monday demanded the resignation of Tunisia’s minister for women’s affairs, Sihem Badi, accusing her of defending a children’s nursery where a three-year-old girl was raped. The protesters, among them relatives of the victim, gathered outside the ministry in Tunis…
Thousands Support Tunisia’s Islamist Party In Rally, Democracy, Non-Violence Hailed
TUNIS, Tunisia — Thousands of supporters of the ruling Islamist party, waving banners and chanting, marched Saturday in the capital in response to rising criticism about Tunisia’s direction two years after its revolution.
Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali has run afoul of his own governing party, Ennadha, by announcing he would seek to form a Cabinet of technocrats after leftist opposition politician Chokri Belaid was shot dead outside his home on Feb. 6 – setting off anti-government riots around the country. Saturday’s demonstration was a show of support for the party in the face of Jebali’s initiative.
Tunisian president’s party quits cabinet
http://www.youtube.com/v/1hhylBUHVUQ?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata Excerpt from - Tunisian president’s party quits cabinet
Tunisia pro-government protesters take to the streets
http://www.youtube.com/v/SB7-xgsBxag?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata Read article here: Tunisia pro-government protesters take to the streets
Clashes break out as Tunisian politician is laid to rest
http://www.youtube.com/v/5GFXYd0PBr4?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata Jump to original: Clashes break out as Tunisian politician is laid to rest
Chokri Belaid Funeral: Violence Ensues As Thousands Mourn Assassinated Tunisian Opposition Leader
TUNIS, Tunisia — The funeral of a slain Tunisian opposition leader was marred Friday by clashes between police and gangs of young men destroying nearby cars, as black smoke spiraled from burning vehicles into the sky and clouds of tear gas floated over the nearby cemetery.
Tens of thousands of Tunisians chanting anti-government slogans converged on the Jellaz cemetery for the funeral of Chokri Belaid, a left-wing politician whose assassination Wednesday outside his home has exacerbated Tunisia’s political crisis and escalated tensions in the North African nation that helped kick off the Arab Spring.
