The Sidi Bouzid revolution: Ben Ali flees as protests spread in Tunisia

Where do people think this is going to go? Just following Mark's posts it seems like it's continually escalating... but to where?

The struggles in Algeria in the 1990s and this century also showed no presence of Islamicist groups (except as very brutal counter-revolutionary forces).

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.
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I'm not sure if we lived through the same 1990's, but Algerian political formations during that time both in terms of political parties (FIS and later GIA) and generally among the urban haitiste and lumpen were either completely dominated by or extremely succeptible to islamicist ideas.

Salam everyone, I am a tunisian living in london, as a matter of fact there is no tunisian organisation in london if we don't consider the gathering of some individuals who got political asylium in the 90's as an organistaion though they have all means and experience

I with few other tunisian activists and very amateur ones as well founded the tunisia solidarity campaign to inform in particular and centralize the support of the uk based tunisian diaspora.. we just created the website
http://tunisiasolidarity.wordpress.com/ so feeds will be more and more regular as we figure new ways to translate and pass the info efficiently for those interested.

If anyone has questions about what has been happening feel free to contact me at touneyssa[at]gmail.com

The Tunisian regime was fighting for survival yesterday. Reports and videos of clashes between police and demonstrators circulated on the internet throughout the day – so many that it became difficult to keep track. In some of them civilians were shot and killed – though at this stage it is impossible to even guess at the numbers.

Perhaps most telling were the scenes, reminiscent of the fall of Saddam Hussein, where pictures of President Ben Ali were openly destroyed in the streets (two examples here and here).

The EU issued a statement echoing that of the United States, calling for "restraint in the use of force and for the respect of fundamental freedoms", as did the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon.

At 4pm local time, Ben Ali appeared on television and on this occasion his speech was not interrupted by a telephone call. It's a subjective assessment, but I felt from his demeanour that he looked more than a little rattled. Unlike his speech two weeks ago, where he was seated presidentially behind a gigantic desk, this time he decided to stand – as if ready to dash out of room at a moment's notice.

He began with some familiar bluster, deriding (and insulting) the thousands of protesters by blaming "hostile elements in the pay of foreigners, who have sold their souls to extremism and terrorism, manipulated from outside the country". This was so obviously untrue that, from then on, most of his audience probably stopped listening.

He followed this up with an implausible-sounding promise to create 300,000 new jobs within two years, and to hold a "national conference" next month (which nobody apart from the regime's most diehard supporters is likely to attend).

Clutching weakly for other things to offer, he announced "a new impetus to regional newspapers devoting space daily to all governorates of the country" and said the "people's representatives" would be asked to "intensify their periodic contacts with citizens".

He ended, very oddly, by thanking his "dear brother", Colonel Gadafy, for support and appeared to suggest that anyone who is unhappy with life in Tunisia should go to Libya. The situation must be truly dire if the only world leader you can publicly thank for support is Gadafy.

Following his speech, in which Ben Ali also lectured Tunisians on the importance the regime attaches to education, the education ministry demonstrated the regime's commitment by announcing that schools and universities would be closed until further notice.

Reports on Twitter overnight say access to Facebook within Tunisia has now been blocked in its entirety. Previously the regime had been blocking individual Facebook pages. If true, this is another blunder. Not only will it stir up further anger among Tunisia's youth; it will also be seen as a direct snub to the US, the EU and the UN, who have all made a specific point about the need for free expression.

Maybe the next step is martial law but, as of yesterday, all the signs point to the regime losing control. More civilian deaths mean more funerals, and more funerals mean more protests. And keeping kids out of school, without even Facebook to keep them occupied, is also a recipe for trouble.

Maybe Ben Ali will continue urging his security forces to redouble their efforts, but cooler heads in the police and army ought to be telling him (if they are not doing so already) that there is now only one action that can quell the riots: the departure of Ben Ali himself.

Brian Whitaker, 11 Jan 2011

As I understood it, the movements in Kabylie In Algeria, where most of the riots and social movements of this century and the 1990s happened, were secular and had a general "socialist" outlook.

Ya, I'm a bit suprised that we dont have any news articles on this yet.

If I knew more about the situation over there I'd do it myself.

The movement that started in the Central and Western rural areas of Tunisia has by now reached almost all corners of the country. Unemployment, poverty and a suffocating police state are pushing the masses into action. In the last weeks many others villages and cities witnessed one form or another of protest. In some cities the demonstrators attacked and destroyed government buildings, banks, police headquarters and the offices of the ruling party, the RCD. In others, trade union activists demonstrated in front of the headquarters of the union, the Union Général des Travailleurs de Tunisie (UGTT).

In an about-turn, the domesticated leadership of the UGTT has been forced by the pressure from below to condemn the actions of the government. Demonstrations have been organised in the industrial suburbs of Tunis, in Ben Assour or in the workers bastion of Gafsa in the mining area. Local branches of the UGTT especially in the regions most affected by the revolt have been calling for strikes. The UGTT leadership instead called for “a one minute silence” of hundreds activists in front of its headquarter in the capital, Tunis.

School students and university students are also joining the uprising. Pitched battles between police and the students have taken place on campuses and in front of high schools. A lawyer's demonstration in Tunis was also brutally baton charged by the police.

[…]

This uprising is to a large extent the result of spontaneous combustion. There is no central democratic organisation of the uprising and no clear program. But a layer of activists is reaching new conclusions and is starting to increase the level of organisation and consciousness at local and regional level. Within the UGTT union the tensions are rising between the rank and file and the dictatorship-friendly leaders. The student union, UGET, which has a tremendous tradition of struggle but was also high jacked by elements of the regime is going through turbulent times. Militant students are trying to reclaim the union. Whatever the immediate result of this movement, Tunisia will not be the same again.

A brief summary of reported events in Tunisia on Tuesday:

Latest videos: Police attack demonstrators outside union building in Sfax; early morning incident in the centre of Bizerte; protest in Ben Guerdane.

Tunisian stock market falls again, to lowest since last May.

Biggest trade union, UGTT, calls for general strike; date to be confirmed.

Several pictures on internet of police armed with Steyr AUG guns (made in Austria).

Continuing reports of a heavy death toll in Kasserine. As many as 50, according to some sources.

Several reports on Twitter of undercover regime supporters looting and being filmed by police – presumably to discredit protesters.

Heavy police presence in Tunis. Shops, etc, closed in Avenue Bourguiba. Group of lawyers beaten up while preparing to hold a peaceful protest. Ditto, a group of 100 actors, musicians and artists trying to do a flashmob.

Rumours of a curfew in Tunis from 7pm tonight.

Facebook access reportedly returns after a five-hour break.

Police visit cafes in Tunis suburbs, ordering owners not to show al-Jazeera on the TV.

Radio Kalima journalist Nizar Ben Hassen arrested at his home in Chebba.

There is some speculation on Twitter about the role of the Tunisian military, with suggestions that the army, or at least sections of it, is refusing to take part in the repression. (I have no idea whether that is true or not.)

...

Brian Whitaker, 11 Jan 2011

Radio Kalima journalist Nizar Ben Hassen arrested at his home in Chebba.

Quote:

En outre, Moez Jemai, correspondant de Radio Kalima à Gabès (400 km au sud de Tunis), a été arrêté par quatre policiers en civil, le 6 janvier dernier, vers 14 heures. Aspergé de gaz paralysant, il a été poussé de force dans un véhicule banalisé et transféré au ministère de l’Intérieur à Tunis. Lors d’interrogatoires portant sur sa couverture des évènements de Sidi Bouzid, il a été victime de mauvais traitements. Il a été relâché le samedi 8 janvier dans la soirée, à Tunis.

Detenido un periodista, amigo de la CGT

Agentes de la policía política secuestraron el 6 de enero, en Gabes, al periodista Moez EL Jemai, corresponsal de Radio Kalima, en Gabès después de haberlo regado con gas paralizante. Fue trasladado más tarde al Ministerio del Interior en la capital donde, según sus declaraciones, sufrió malos tratos y torturas. Fue trasladado con los ojos vendados, por varios locales del Ministerio de Interior donde se le pregungtaba continuamente sobre su actividad profesional en la radio. Los policías le ha amenazado con acusarle de “incitación a la violencia” debido a su cobertura de las protestas. Fue puesto en libertad la tarde del 8 de enero.

Mouez El Jemal es amigo de la CGT y colabora con el equipo de trabajo de la CGT para el norte de África. http://www.kalimatunisie.com/

Biggest trade union, UGTT, calls for general strike; date to be confirmed.

Des sources d’Assabilonline ont affirmé que la Commission Administrative de l’UGTT, réunie aujourd’hui mardi 11 janvier, avait décidé de façon extraordinaire de grèves régionales et sectorielles générales sur tout le territoire pour protester contre le tir à balles réelles sur les citoyens de Sidi Bouzid et Kasserine…

At least 35 people have died in violent unrest in Tunisia, according to a human rights group.

The authorities have said 21 people were killed in protests in recent days.

Union and health officials suggest that 50 died in the town of Kasserine alone. Fresh protests broke out late on Tuesday in the capital, Tunis...

Fresh protests have broken out in a suburb of the Tunisian capital, Tunis.

Police reportedly fired into the air to disperse protesters in Ettadamen, 15km (9 miles) from the centre of Tunis...

Tunisians and an Algerian, who spoke to BBCArabic.com, react to the current unrest in their countries and discuss how closely the causes of clashes in the two countries are linked.

...

Intisar Kahreji wrote:

There is profound oppression in Tunisia.

My family had to flee the country because of my father's opposition to the regime.

This oppression, together with high youth unemployment - which led one young man to commit suicide recently - and corruption have created a sense of despair amongst young people.

A small minority of people live in villas and palaces, while the rest endure a harsh life.

It is meaningless to talk about helping young people or working to improve their conditions because quite simply the state's resources are monopolised by a small clique. The economic growth that Tunisia enjoyed over recent years benefited this small circle.

Had the suppression of the demonstrators we see now in Tunisia occurred in, say, Iran or China, Europe would have made a major issue of it.

However, the reaction of the EU, Tunisia's biggest commercial partner, has been very weak.

Indeed, the EU did not even issue a response until three weeks after the start of the unrest.

Police have fired into the air to disperse rioters ransacking buildings in a suburb of Tunisia's capital.



The violence in the predominantly working class neighbourhood of Ettadem late on Tuesday was the first in Tunis since a wave of unrest that has killed at least 23 people, according to officials.



A reporter for the Reuters news agency said that hundreds of youths threw stones at police before smashing shops and setting fire to a bank.

He said the crowd had blocked the roads with burning tyres, set fire to a bus and two cars and also set fire to a local government office.



"We are not afraid, we are not afraid, we are afraid only of God," the crowds chanted.

As well as warning shots, the police fired tear gas grenades to try to force people back...

I've no special insights on this and I'd be interested in what people like Khawaga and Devrim think about it.

Khawaga - Fair enough really. I suppose I was hoping for some informed speculation about where this is leading, but that's actually quite difficult unless you've spent time in a country and know it quite well.