The coordinator of the "Citizens Against the Coup" campaign in Tunisia, Jawhar Ben Mubarak, announced the suspension of the sit-in that the campaign had announced on Habib Bourguiba Street in protest against the exceptional measures taken by President Kais Saied.
Bin Mubarak said - in a video published by the campaign on its official Facebook page - that the suspension of the sit-in came "with the aim of preserving the safety of the protesters", which he described as "security attacks", and to avoid what he said was "suspicious luring towards the clash."
He stressed that the suspension decision also came for more coordination and reorganization of the sit-in as soon as possible to confront the president's actions, which he described as a "coup."
security intervention
The campaign said that the security forces violently attacked the protesters using sticks and tear gas, which resulted in injuries among the protesters and the arrest of a number of young protesters.
And threatened to escalate and intensify its movements during the coming period.
On the other hand, the Tunisian Ministry of Interior said that a group of people "deliberately attacked, on Saturday, a number of security leaders, while they were trying to implement the law and prevent the setting up of tents on Habib Bourguiba Street for the sit-in."
In a statement, the Tunisian Ministry of Interior added that what it described as an attempt to forcibly set up tents on Habib Bourguiba Street is against the law, and that the Public Prosecution authorized the seizure of tents and chairs, the evacuation of the public road and the arrest of any party involved in the process of attacking the security forces, as it put it.
The Tunisian Ministry of Interior affirmed its keenness to respect rights and freedoms and to carry out its duty to enforce laws on everyone without exception, according to the text of its statement.
protests against the president
On Friday, protests took place on Habib Bourguiba Street in central Tunis, in opposition to the president’s actions, who froze parliament, lifted the immunity of its members, dismissed the government, appointed another, and assumed the presidency of the Public Prosecution and the authority of legislation.
The protests coincided with the anniversary of the start of the 2011 revolution that toppled President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Following these protests, the "Citizens Against the Coup" campaign decided to engage in an open sit-in on Habib Bourguiba Street.
And earlier yesterday, Saturday, Tunisian security intervened to prevent the protesters from setting up their tents on Habib Bourguiba Street, before skirmishes erupted between the two sides, with security personnel using tear gas to disperse dozens of protesters, according to eyewitnesses.
Roadmap demands
The "Citizens Against the Coup" campaign is a popular initiative that presented a proposal for a road map to end the political crisis in Tunisia, including holding early presidential and legislative elections in the second half of 2022.
And the Tunisian president announced, last Monday, in a speech, the continuation of freezing the powers of Parliament until early elections are organized on December 17, 2022.
Since last July 25, Tunisia has been witnessing a political crisis, as a result of exceptional measures taken by Kais Saied, including: freezing the competencies of Parliament, lifting the immunity of its deputies, abolishing the constitutionality monitoring body, issuing legislation by presidential decrees, dismissing the prime minister, and appointing new ones.
Prominent political and social forces in Tunisia announced their rejection of these exceptional decisions, considering them "isolation of opinion and a consolidation of the authority of one individual," while other forces supported them and saw them as "an expression of the aspirations of the people."