Thousands of Tunisians protest for improved services and freedoms
Thousands of Tunisians demonstrated in the capital, Tunis, on Saturday to demand the restoration of democracy, respect for freedoms, and improved living conditions. The protest, led by the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), the country’s largest labor organization, was joined by opposition parties and civil society organizations, amid criticism of President Kais Saied’s policies and the decline in rights and public services.
According to AFP, more than 3,000 people took part in the demonstration, marking the largest protest movement of its kind against Saied’s rule in years.
According to Reuters, protesters gathered in Mohamed Ali Square in front of UGTT headquarters before heading to Habib Bourguiba Avenue, one of the most prominent protest sites during the 2011 uprising. Police forces were deployed in the capital’s streets, closing several roads and entrances.
Participants carried Tunisian flags and banners demanding respect for freedoms, judicial independence, the release of imprisoned dissidents, and an end to the prosecution of journalists and human rights defenders, alongside the protection of union rights.
Protesters marched under the slogan “Tunisia First.. The people above all considerations,” while chanting, “No fear, no terror, the streets belong to the people” and “The people want the fall of the regime,” the famous chant associated with the 2011 Tunisian uprising that overthrew President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and paved the way for protests in other Arab countries.
Organizations that joined the call for the protest included the Tunisian League for Human Rights, the National Union of Tunisian Journalists, the National Order of Lawyers, and the Tunisian Organization of Young Doctors, alongside opposition parties from various political orientations.
UGTT Secretary-General Slah Eddine Salmi said in a speech to protesters that “silence is no longer acceptable,” adding that Tunisia’s crisis is linked, in his view, to “one person monopolizing power.”
Sihem Bensedrine, the former president of the Truth and Dignity Commission, an independent state body, told AFP that participants were demanding respect for fundamental freedoms, particularly the release of political prisoners.
The protesters’ demands were not limited to political and human rights aspects, as demonstrators chanted slogans criticizing rising prices, declining purchasing power, and widespread unemployment, alongside frequent water and power outages and a shortage of medicines and some basic goods, according to Reuters.
Yassin Gharseli, who traveled from the city of Sfax to join the protest, told Reuters that the country is facing successive crises, pointing to water and power outages. He added that he attended to defend his freedom, affirming that he is not ready to relinquish it.
The demonstration comes amid an economic crisis and cost-of-living pressures, coinciding with the ongoing dispute between Saied and his opponents over the governance of the country and its political trajectory since 2021.
On July 25, 2021, Saied froze the elected parliament before later dissolving it and assuming rule by decree. He also dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council and dismissed dozens of judges in measures described by his opponents as a coup against the constitutional order, while the president maintains they aim to combat corruption and end what he calls the disruption of state institutions.
Local and international human rights organizations have accused the Tunisian authorities of escalating restrictions on civil society, journalists, and opposition leaders, and of prosecuting and detaining the president’s critics. Saied rejects accusations of tyranny and repression, saying he is not a dictator and that he is pushing ahead with purging the country of those he describes as traitors, corrupt individuals, and conspirators.
The president also accuses his opponents of fabricating economic crises to inflame social tensions and set the country ablaze from within.