Friday 14 January 2011 -- After a dramatic 24 hours when Tunisia's dictator president Ben Ali first tried promising liberalisation and an end to police shootings of demonstrators and then, this evening at 16:00, declaring martial law, he has finally fallen from office. While the rumours are still swirling, one thing is clear, Ben Ali has left Tunisia and the army has stepped in. The comments after this article contain continuous updates of the uprising.
The day began with a mass demonstration called by Tunisia's trade union federation, the UGTT, in the capital Tunis. Between 10 and 15,000 people demonstrated outside the Ministry of the Interior. The initially peaceful scene broke down at around 14:30 local time as police moved in with tear gas and batons to disperse the crowd, some of whom had managed to scale the Ministry building and get on its roof. From then on, the city centre descended into chaos with running battles between the riot police and Tunisians of all ages and backgrounds fighting for the overthrow of the hated despot.
Finally, armoured cars from the army appeared on the street and a state of emergency and curfew was declared with Ben Ali threatening the populace that the security forces had carte blanche to open fire on any gatherings of more than three people. Soon, however, he disappeared from view and the rumours began to circulate. The army seized control of the airport and there were reports of convoys of limousines racing to the airport from the Ben Ali families palace. Finally the official announcement came. Ben Ali is gone. Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi appeared on state TV to announce that he was in charge of a caretaker government backed by the army.
Tonight the long-suffering people of Tunisia may rejoice that their last four weeks of heroic resistance has finally seen off the dictator who ran the most vicious police state in North Africa over them for the last 23 years.
But tomorrow morning will find the army in charge. What will happen tomorrow and the days to follow is anybody's guess. But the people now know that they have the power to overthrow a long-entrenched dictatorship, how much easier to take on a new unstable regime.
Report by Workers Solidarity Movement
Comments
Angry Maghreb: day 23 in Tunisia (Egyptian Chronicles blog)
Tunisia: The uprising has a hashtag
Recently on twitter
Now the army and the police are using the live bullets to stop protests in Kassrin
Talah : The police forces are shooting in the air to stop the protests
a young man killed in Telah at 21:30
New clashes between police and protesters in Meknessi and #SidiBouzid
Now,a clash between police and citizens in Meknassi, and the locally says that the police are using a new stronger tear gas
Breaking news from #sidibouzid: 2 killed as live rounds used in Tala, 8 others in critical condition
Thala, Kasserine Tunisia: 90 year-old Bechir Lembarek Hayuni dies after inhaling police gas
Thala, Kasserine tunisia : Two young men shot dead by police dring protests; Ahmad Ben Ammar Boulabi and Marwan Gennawi
From Kasserine (~50 mi west of #SidiBouzid): one thirteen-year-old has been shot, along with two men. A massive march has erupted
Kasserine - Tunisia: angry protesters get to the streets after police killed at least 3 citizens in the same town
Live bullets against protesters killed a 13 years old boy & the army is deployed in Kasserien city in #Tunisia
They were killed by the police. The army is there only to watch public buildings and prevent foreign interventions
Unconfirmed: Up to seven ppl may have beeen killed when policed open fired on protestors in Kasserine
Nobody really knows how many were killed and injured tonight in Kasserine
Few minutes ago in Meknassy , A new young man shot dead with a live bullets
l'armée et surtout la police empêchent les ambulances de venir au secour des habitant Blessés (transport par les habitants)
à thala ont me dit une 12 personne blessés par balle , rabi yoster , wallah 9aher. ..vraiment très mal au coeur ce soir
Attention le Bilan est vraiment provisoir , il y a bcp bcp de Blessés rien à Kaserine 17 blessés par Balle
une catastrophe , putain de merde je recoi des info et j'ai vraiment le coeur gros ,à thala il y a au moins 5 mort et kaserine4
Sont morts a kassrin cette nuit: Mounir Lembarki, Rauf Alboside, Alarbi Saleh, Mohammad Osode (liste partielle)
N'ayons pas peur des mots. Ce qui se passe cette nuit en Tunisie est du terrorisme d'État pur et simple
Video from Kasserine
Tunisian police kill protestors
This is serious
Al Jazeera: protesters killed in Tunisia riots
Map of the protests
Recently on twitter
Tunisia7 (official TV) : 2 dead and 8 injured last night in Talah
Talah : After using the tear gas, the police attacked the funeral with live bullets
Shots, used in Talah http://fb.me/RjFBwL1O
The police (snipers) use the steyr AUG (Effective range Sighted for 300 m-450-500m-)to shot the demonstrators
According to a source in Kassrin’s hospital, 20 men were killed
Most pictures [of dead & wounded] show that the police shot to kill: torsos & heads
Medical doctors now protesting in #Kasserine...
Moncef Marzouki to senior Tunisian army officers: History will judge. Do not execute Ben Ali's orders
Moncef Marzouki: responsability of killings lies primarily on senior officials in Tunisian army
Maniftunis, rassemblement dans 1 heure Avenue HAbib Bourghiba à 14h - Tunis
Pantin : le consulat de Tunisie victime d'une «petite explosion» http://tinyurl.com/2b9s8mf
manif déclaré a cité el khadra, cité ezohour, ariana,mornag, la marsa, ben arous, bizerte
Manel Bouallagui, a wife and a mother, was shot dead in front of her home in the village of Rgueb in #Sidibouzid
Video from inside hospital of the dead and dying, presumably Kasserine
http://goo.gl/Crckz ***warning: unedited and graphic footage***
Eyewitnesses in Kasserine report that the police has been preventing ambulances from reaching the injured
Eyewitness confirms to Radio Kalimah that a number of dead bodies were thrown in waterways by police froces in Kasserine
Eyewitness says at least seven victims were thrown by police in waterways in Kasserine
Witnesses confirm that the Army is not involved in any of the killings that have been taking place since protests started
Raouf Kadoussi, dead. Chaher Abidi and Naseem Jallai seriously injured after being shot by police in Rgueb village in #Sidibouzid
The police attacked the protesters with live bullets in Selyana and Jebeniana
I just checked the Guardian site to see what they had to say about the killings. The last mention of Tunisia was the islamist comment is free piece on Tuesday.
And the bbc...
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Tunisia latest
holy shit…
Thanks for the continued updates however
I can't believe this isn't being reported in the mainstream media. I mean, it sounds like things are getting pretty heavy over there, but all I've seen of it is one brief article in the Guardian.
I second Steve, thanks for the updates, Mark.
Claims for the death toll in Kasserine alone are now running at between 26 and 40. As you say it's hard to believe this isn't being reported.
The battle of Kasserine 2011 (Egyptian Chronicles blog)
La Tunisie à feu et à sang, 40 morts
I don't understand why it isn't being reported though - civil unrest in other countries normally gets at least a passing mention.
Part of me wonders if it's the whole 'food prices/economy angle' - but then they reported the Haiti food riots a few years back.
And meanwhile in Algeria at least four people were reported killed and more than 800 injured. Around 1,000 protestors had been arrested.
Mohamed Zitout, a former Algerian diplomat, - "It is a revolt, and probably a revolution, of an oppressed people who have, for 50 years, been waiting for housing, employment, and a proper and decent life in a very rich country. "But unfortunately it is ruled by a very rich elite that does not care about what is happening in the country - because they did not give people what they want, even though the government has the means to do so, the people are now revolting."
Mohamed Ben Madani, editor of The Maghreb Review, said the situation was "out of control" and that the protests could continue for weeks. "The government simply ignored the people since they were elected to office and basically now they [i][the people] have come out into the streets asking the authorities to give them jobs and to share the wealth of the nation," [/i]
Layachi Ansar, professor of sociology at Qatar University - that the cutting of food taxes and duties was "a superficial measure" that doesn't address "the deep crisis" going on in Algeria, connected with the "unequal distribution of wealth - this wealth is spoilt by corruption, by bad governance and lack of accountability of government officials and state civil servants".
Dalila Hanache, an Algerian journalist with the news website Echorouk, said that the protests went beyond just rising prices. "I hear young people in the neighbourhood who say these clashes and protests are not the result of high food prices only, they think there are lots of problems in this country - educational, problems in the health sectors, in all sectors of government,"
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/01/20111820132025240.html
Auto - I was watching the news on bbc earlier on and I was really expecting to see it reported. It's not just the deaths it's the potential implications for the whole Arab world.
According to Brian Whitaker in his Guardian comment is free piece on 30 December, "The biggest story from the Middle East this week … No, the biggest, most important and most inspiring story from the Middle East this year is one that most readers may only vaguely have heard of, if at all. It's the Tunisian uprising."
I'm not any kind of expert on North Africa or the Middle East but this judgement sounds realistic to me. That was before protests spread to the whole country and beyond its borders.
Looking for that quote I found that the Guardian put up an AP report a couple of hours ago, quoting interior ministry figures of eight dead in Thala and Kasserine. So the story is being covered after a fashion but not in a way that might bring some pressure to stop the killing. I don't really have an explanation for the lack of interest from the media here.
I haven't heard of any foreign reporters operating within Tunisia though. I saw something about, I think, Le Monde trying to send someone to Tunis and being refused. English language journalists covering the 'Middle East' are more likely to be based somewhere like Cairo or Beirut that isn't so much closer to Tunisia than London is. Al Jazeera have also been barred from the country but they're managing to report the uprising quite well.
Tunisia's press blackout
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Plus de 50 morts à Kasserine, Thala, Feriana, Regueb, Meknassi
Activist crackdown: Tunisia vs Iran
Recently on twitter
Today protest in the city of Sfax #sidibouzid التجمع الجماهيري اليوم بصفاقس http://post.ly/1SThc
Riots are moving to the north (El Kef)
Message received in Kef Tunisia : City hall, Post office, Department stores, court house ALL ON FIRE. Fuck Ben Ali & his mafia
urgent ; 2 premiers martyr à kef mais le bilan peu être aussi lourd qu'à kaserine , j'attends des infos
Report: Clashes continuing between security forces and protesters in Sidi Bouzid
Confirmed information: A new young man attempts suicide(immolation) in Meknassy
The police opened fire on the protesters in the Meknassy and there are some injuries
There are some injured cops in Meknassy
Some protesters were killed after been shot by the police in Meknassy
A young mother of two,Manel Boallagui 26, s among the 5 dead in Erregueb as confirmed by eye witness
5 killed by police shots in Tunisian city of Regueb, according to @benmhennilina #SidiBouzid
2day I saw 5 dead killed by police bullets, I 'm not afraid 2 say ths system is criminal
The little stable "moderate" arab Tunisia is moving http://bbc.in/ht3DvL
Tunisia frees rapper critical of government | News by Country | Reuters http://goo.gl/b4sk1
A Thala les militaires demandent à la police de cesser de tirer sur le peuple (témoin sur place)
Breaking: Ben Ali sacked army chief of staff General Rashid Amar and replaced him with military intel dir. Gen Ahmed Shabbir
Meanwhile in Tunis: http://is.gd/ks675
articles in English: http://bit.ly/h58Pyk
Tunisian friends: is there any call to tourists to stop vacationing in #Tunisia? Would you support such a call?
No, because the eventual victims are the Tunisian people. Sanction has never worked with dictators
Appel a la police: ne tirez pas sur vos freres “@evildrako: chanson d'actualités de Psycho M http://on.fb.me/gSH51R
Le visage hideux de la bourgeoisie en temps de crise par Mohamed BELAALI: http://bit.ly/e0frRA
Erregueb January 9th, 2011: Tonight , I went to Regueb after hearing about clashes between demonstrato... http://bit.ly/ghjS9S
La police Tunisie nne cible la jeunesse engagée dans la scène artistique, médiatique http://bit.ly/fpU9C3
For fear of either consequences or embarrassments, #Morocco bans solidarity demos with #SidiBouzid http://www.doualia.com/
Many Impressiv Tunisian Anonymous Pics http://bit.ly/ec8UDv from Tunisia
nawaat's polls are here http://www.nawaat.org/portail/pollsarchive/
Video: bloodshed in Tunisia as social protests intensify
It is being reported on the TV news here in France , but relatively low on the list of reports, and they don't mention the higher figures for the death toll. Still, it's certainly not a blackout (Tunisia got about 3 minutes the other day) - and Algeria is being mentioned as well. I'd guess the lack of reporting in a time where things are beginning to happen in the UK and elsewhere is because, although they can be placed as a response to a dictatorship and to incredibly high food price rises, which are not things that make for any direct identification in the vast majority in Europe (yet), they don't want it to be seen that lots of different movements worldwide are starting up. Plus it kind of undermines Islam as the bogeyman v. rebel identity that helps the divide and rule. Plus there are, obviously, a lot of capitalist interests in maintaining social peace (capitalist war is another thing) in the Middle East, and the possibility of the spread of class war in that region is not something they want to give too much publicity to. Still, they'll almost certainly have to give these developments more publicity if only to ty to portray them within their ideological categories and to try to offer the carrot of reform.
All this is off the top of my head - and I'm no expert in the region at all. But I think if winter begins like this, we can look forward to an even more explosive spring - and not just in North Africa.
Perhaps these struggles, Tunis and Algeria, Morocco and Egypt, showing no presence whatsoever of islamicist groups points to a long overdue change in the terrain of class war in the muslim world.
The struggles in Algeria in the 1990s and this century also showed no presence of Islamicist groups (except as very brutal counter-revolutionary forces) - but this time struggle's happening on several different fronts (maybe even Gaza?). I guess the main problem, as always, is the chasm between the unemployed and the employed working class - but I'd guess - in Tunisia at least - this is breaking down.
Maybe there's a general secularist feeling around. See the CEMB forum for example. They have a thread on the Tunisia uprising too.
More videos from Tunisia
Bourse de Tunis à mi-journée: chute libre de TOUTES les actions en cotation
Mis-reporting Tunisia
Talking of mis-reporting here's a BBC video on the uprising.
Recently on twitter
Now: Big manifestation in #Kasserine (cite El-Zouhour)...
Breaking News - Five dead people shot by the police were discovered this morning in Talah
in #Sfax, police forces using bullets to stop a demonstration (location "route de l'aeroport")
The 2 cities to make this revolt unnassailable by Benali are Sfax and Tunis #sidibouzid #jasminrevolt sfax has started moving
Manifestation in #Kairouan now in front Habitat bank..stones and tear gas bombs used
I now know exactly the effect of tear gaz bombs:burning eyes, tears, can't see, unbearable pain in chest and nose, awfull smell
Strikes for #sidibouzid in all over the country
Manar University Campus, police forces attacked the student with the tear gas
manif campus manar (2) #sidibouzid #OpTunisia http://yfrog.com/hsh5kvxj http://yfrog.com/gzodavj http://yfrog.com/h3lj8dj
Tunisia to respond to protests http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/01/20111109030302593.html
Today's high school protests for #sidibouzid spread like fire all over the country, who said our youth was lost and unconscious?
Tunisia: “Please tell the world Kasserine is dying!” http://bit.ly/gGy0Jg #sidibouzid #jasminrevolt
Rap from #Tunisia: "President, your people are dying!" http://on.fb.me/hkrrAX
don't forget that Tunisian #blogger Slim #Amamou is still arrested and held incommunicado http://bit.ly/eKEBat
New blog post: [Video] A Song For Tunisia: The Free Knows No Fear #SidiBouzid http://tumblr.com/x1u186ypjt
Classes are suspended at ma3had al namoothaji in Sousa
Notice the gaz from the bomb & how people running in all directions, an old lady passed out!#kairouan http://tinyurl.com/2bp8vxz
Video: Today's General strike in Ar-reqab إضراب عام اليوم بمدينة الرقاب حزنا على القتلى #sidibouzid http://is.gd/ktNv7
"5 news bodies found in Thala this norning. 3 in local police station. Families were not allowed to recover them." #SidiBouzid via @TunNews
Sbeitla, in #Kasserine, protesters set on fire the office of ben ali's party http://on.fb.me/fEcOVN #SidiBouzid #JasminRevolt
Clashes between students attending Farhat Hashad, Al Habib Thamer, and Nov 7th institutions and the police in Binzart
Breaking news: European Union requests #Tunisia to release arrested people
People protesting in Nafta (south of #Tunisia)...
5 more killed in #Kasserine this morning (cite El-Zouhour and El-Karama) #SidiBouzid #JasminRevolt
More shocking videos and photos from Tunisia: http://is.gd/ktwoO (Article in French)
Protest in the hospital of Sfax #sidibouzid http://fb.me/Pdfhhpsv
The news of the firing the army general is unverified
Army in Fariana (#Kasserine state)... But not stopping the protesters...
Tunisia Sunday LiveBlog: At Least 20 & Up to 51 Dead in Saturday/Sunday Clashes http://tinyurl.com/34f5bqv
Mark. - if you have time, writing this up for a news article would get this some more attention - we can put it on the front page of the site, and it'll show up in google news etc. (I could probably transfer the comments on here to the news article as well if that's useful).
About a week or two ago there was a very small protest in Egypt when the government tried to reclassify a school (not really up on the details, I know someone who went to that school a long time ago and it was on his facebook). Just one school, but several hundred people at the demo, and it may be a sign of other things going on there as well.
Mike - I'll see what I can do though I don't think I'll be able to write anything today and it might just be something that serves as an introduction to the thread. I've been regretting not starting this as a news article in the first place.
Something that just introduces the thread is fine, also it's completely fine to update news articles once posted - an admin has to approve the edit but that's the only hurdle.
It would be good if someone could do a photo gallery at some point as well.
As far as moving the comments I've put up links to this thread elsewhere and they will need to keep working. I'm not sure whether that will be a problem or not.
An eyewitness account from Tala
Tunisia closes universities to quell unrest
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Manifestations à Tunis, Morts à Regueb
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Speech by Ben Ali this afternoon
Report on twitter from Kasserine that 'the army have kicked the police out of the city'. Also 'bloody confrontations between police and protesters in Gafsa'.
Videos:
'Police station set on fire in Kasserine today'
'Kasserine protesters taking off huge Ben Ali's banner from a governmental building'
'Right now: a clash in Bizerte'