adminExactly two years after a harassed young fruit vendor in the provincial Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid set himself alight, sparking the Arab Spring, Tunisian President Marzouki was heckled yesterday during a wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb of Tunisia’s best-known martyr.
“You came a year ago and you promised things would change in six months, but nothing has changed,” shouted one protester.
“We do not want you here,” added another.
Hours later, when the Tunisian president had just finished delivering an address in the town’s main square, rocks were hurled at the podium just as parliamentary speaker Mustapha Ben Jaafar was about to speak.
Security forces swiftly evacuated the two politicians to a regional government headquarters, according to an AFP journalist, and there were no reports of injuries.
On December 17, 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire outside Sidi Bouzid’s local government offices in protest over the confiscation of his wares and harassment by local officials.
He died in hospital weeks later — after a visit by then President Zine al Abidine Ben Ali, who saw his authority unravelling in the angry aftermath of the self-immolation, but was powerless to prevent his ouster on January 14, 2011, becoming the first statesman-victim of the Arab Spring.
Since that fateful day when Sidi Bouzid earned its place in history as the cradle of the revolution, Bouazizi’s forlorn face is ubiquitous across this town, adorning government buildings and public spaces.
But two years later, many Tunisians are frustrated by the country’s deteriorating socio-economic situation as the new democratically elected government struggles to improve job prospects in a country with a 19 percent national unemployment rate with youth jobless figures much higher in some areas.
In towns such as Sidi Bouzid, miles away from the more prosperous coastal regions, anger has been mounting due to the lack of jobs as well as the sort of police arrogance and official intimidation that led Bouazizi to his fiery grave.
“On the political side, there has been freedom of expression since last year’s elections,” said FRANCE 24’s David Thomson, reporting from Sidi Bouzid. “But most Tunisians have forgotten about the political progress because the economic situation is worse than under Ben Ali. The revolution has adversely affected the economy.
“Youth unemployment is as high as 40 percent in some interior areas. The result is that while expectations are high, the economic and social context that led Sidi Bouzid to revolt two years ago is the same today.”
The outrage was evident during yesterday’s second anniversary commemorations, when protesters stormed the town square as the president was delivering a commemoration address, screaming “Get out! Get out!” – the same cry demonstrators employed during the uprising against Ben Ali.
Against the economic malaise, strikes are a frequent occurrence across post-revolutionary Tunisia – followed, in some case, by clashes, heavy police crackdowns and attacks by hardline Islamists.
“There are frequent social riots that often turn violent and each time, these riots are violently repressed by the police,” explained Thomson.
Last week, Tunisia’s main labour union, the UGTT, called off a planned nationwide strike to protest what it said was an attack on its offices by allies of the ruling moderate Islamist Ennahda party.
Amid widespread fears that if the strike went ahead it could spark fresh violence, Marzouki postponed visits to Poland and Bulgaria due to the “delicate situation in the country and political friction,” according to a statement released by the presidential office.
Days before the second anniversary, angry Sidi Bouzid residents criticised the government’s economic record since the October 2011 election – the first free and fair poll in this North African nation. — France24.
Online Reporter