Thousands march in Tunis in largest protest against President Saied in years

Right · 2Thousands of Tunisians took part on Saturday 17 October in what was described as the largest protest against President Kais Saied in years, accusing him of undermining democracy and mishandling the economy. 1 2 Right · 2The demonstration was led by the UGTT labour union and civil society groups, and took place amid an economic crisis, worsening public services, recurring water and power cuts, and shortages of medicines and essential goods. 1 2 Right · 2Opposition parties from across the political spectrum joined lawyers, doctors, journalists, unemployed people and civil society groups in marching along Habib Bourguiba Avenue, a focal point of the 2011 protests that helped trigger the Arab Spring uprisings; the coverage calls this a rare show of unity. 1 2

Right · 2Hundreds of police were deployed across the capital. 1 2 Right · 2Protesters chanted "No fear, power belongs to the people" and "Prisons are full, people are hungry", called for the release of Saied's critics, and demanded an end to what they described as attacks on trade union rights; others carried banners about unemployment and pollution. 1 2 Right · 2Yassine Gharseli, a protester who travelled from Sfax, about 250 km south of Tunis, said: "Enough is enough! The country is collapsing." 1 2

Right · 2In 2021 Saied dissolved parliament, dismissed dozens of judges and began ruling by decree, moves his opponents described as a coup. 1 2 Right · 2Rights groups say he has intensified a crackdown on civil society, journalists and opposition figures. Saied rejects this, saying he is not a dictator, and has accused his opponents of engineering economic crises to fuel social unrest. 1 2 Right · 2The reports say the protest poses a significant challenge to Saied, since years of division had weakened the opposition's ability to mobilise large crowds. No crowd figure, official response to the march or reports of arrests appear in the coverage. 1 2