Tunisians protest during Independence Day, rejecting Saied’s ‘autocracy’ and ‘coup’

In the Tunisian capital, thousands of Tunisians have demonstrated on Sunday 20 March, 2022, to commemorate the 66th anniversary of Independence, and to call for overthrowing of what they call “the coup”. This demonstration came as a response to a call launched by the “Citizens against the Coup” campaign, according to Anadolu Agency.

“Citizens against the Coup” is a popular initiative, that issued a proposal for a road map to end the political crisis in Tunisia. The road map includes holding early presidential and legislative elections in the second half of 2022.

The demonstrators, who headed from the “Bab Saadoun” suburb in Tunis towards Bardo Square (the Parliament Building), raised slogans including “Down with the coup”, “Freedoms, freedoms, the police state has ended”, “The judiciary is independent and justice is the solution” and “Stepping down of the President is a duty.”

Meanwhile, the Tunisian authorities imposed a ban on cars from passing through “20 March” Street, which leads to the House of Peoples’ Representatives (Parliament) in Bardo suburb (the path of the rally). Likewise, the authorities forced metro cars not to stop at the stations that exist on the path of the rally.

On the margins of the rally, Riad Al-Shuaibi, political adviser to the Head of the Ennahda Movement, stated to Anadolu Agency: “Today’s action is a continuation of the struggle to end the coup and to return Tunisia to the democratic path.”

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“Today is a historic day for Tunisians, since they commemorate the 66th anniversary of Independence from the French colonisation (1881-1956). Despite the security cordon and the arrests of a number of persons who wanted to participate, we are strongly present here on this road towards Bardo,” Al-Shuaibi added.

For his part, the member of the “Citizens against the Coup” initiative in Tunisia, Jawhar Bin Mubarak, told Anadolu Agency that “eight months have passed since the coup against democracy, and today is considered as an opportunity for Tunisians to express their rejection of Saied’s policy of autocracy.”

“The huge security presence, preventing dozens of demonstrators from reaching the starting point of the rally and arresting some other persons confirms that the existing authority seeks to re-establish the police state and restrict the right of expression.” Bin Mubarak added.

However, there was no immediate official comment regarding what was said by the participants of the rally, even though the authorities usually affirm their commitment to maintain freedom of opinion, expression and political participation “according to law.”

Since 25 July, 2021, Tunisia has been suffering a political crisis, because President Saied imposed exceptional measures including: suspension of Parliament, issuing legislation by presidential decrees, dismissing the government and appointing a new one.

On the other hand, the majority of political and civil forces in Tunisia reject these measures, and consider them as a “coup against the Constitution”. However, there are other forces who support these measures, and consider them as a “correction of the course of the 2011 revolution,” which overthrew the former President, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

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