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Saied supporter criticised for calling to ‘sacrifice’ Tunisians to protect state

February 18, 2023 at 9:56 am

Supporters of Tunisian President Kais Saied. [Yassine Gaidi – Anadolu Agency]

A political activist close to President Kais Saied came under fire after he called for “sacrificing” Tunisians to protect the state.

Political activist Najeeb Al-Daziri asserted during his interview on a private radio station that: “A part of freedom and democracy can be sacrificed to preserve the values of freedom and the democratic path as a whole. We can also sacrifice part of the people to preserve the people and the state. In the sense that we can cut off a diseased and rotten body organ so that the rest of the body can live,” referring to the campaign of arrests launched by the Tunisian authorities against several politicians, judges and businesspeople in the country.

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Al-Daziri’s statement sparked widespread controversy, inspiring activists to attack him on social media sites, accusing him of promoting an exclusionary ideology that could cause chaos in the country.

His positions usually stir controversy in Tunisia, as he previously considered the recent Arab League Summit in Algeria an opportunity for the Arab world to discover President Saied and be proud of the existence of an Arab leader like him.

Al-Daziri was also subjected to a wave of criticism and ridicule a few months ago after he spoke about Algeria’s request to France to transfer its companies from Morocco to Tunisia as a condition for reconciliation with it.

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