Tunisia: a march against President Kaïs Saïed under high surveillance
Demonstrators during the anti-Kaïs Saïed rally on October 10 in Tunis.
AFP - FETHI BELAID
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
This Sunday, October 10 was marked by new demonstrations in Tunis.
This time, it was the opponents of Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed who took to the streets.
A very supervised and less accessible event than the previous ones.
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With our correspondent in Tunis
,
Amira Souilem
Even before arriving on Bourguiba Avenue, the site of the protest against
President Saïed,
the tone is set: clusters of police officers crisscross the neighborhood.
The demonstration by opponents of the president is placed under close surveillance.
Access to the demonstration was even prohibited from certain streets, also for journalists.
Police officers posted around the meeting place order a U-turn: “
You will have to go through the rue de Paris.
The other accesses are closed.
There is a single point of entry and search, it is from the rue de Paris,
"said a police officer to RFI.
"The gathering was deliberately split up"
In the procession overflown by a drone, protesters experienced the same difficulties in making their way to the municipal theater, a rallying point since the beginning of the movement.
“
The gathering was deliberately split into at least five so as not to give the impression that there were many of us.
We understood these practices.
We made a whole detour to be able to access it, it was tiring.
But the truth still ends up not finding a way to be heard
”, testifies a demonstrator.
Same observation made by a man crossed in the procession: “
They put barriers everywhere.
They detained us at the entrance for half an hour, but we were finally able to get in.
It was tiring, it took a little while, but here we are
.
"
"We are not devils"
Visibly exasperated by this management of the demonstration, some protesters poured into a more radical criticism of power than in previous weeks. Criticism of President Kaïs Saïed's exceptional measures seem to gradually turn into anger against him: “
In speeches, he says that we are the devil or tipsy people. Well no, we are the people. Whoever elected him. He has to listen to us, he has no choice. We are not devils and no one paid us to come to this demonstration. We are asking that the Constitution which enabled him to become president be applied again. It is a coup d'etat what he did, it is what one says from the beginning and it is what one will continue to say
", testifies a woman.
Close to this woman, a crowd forms.
A national TV team in the middle of an interview with a deputy is heckled by demonstrators who accuse him of being in the pay of power.
“
You are the media of shame!
Shame media!
Clear !
Clear !
», Scream the demonstrators.
“
We will continue the demonstrations until the president hears us.
He will have to listen to us whether he likes it or not!
», Adds a man.
Many insults and hateful remarks towards the Tunisian president have punctuated this demonstration which was held while the state of emergency enters its twelfth week.
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Tunisia
Kaïs Saïed