Affrontements et couvre-feu à Tunis – 7 mai 2011

Fresh clashes in Tunisia

ft.com

By Eileen Byrne in Tunis

May 7 2011

The main boulevard of the Tunisian capital and adjoining side streets became a battleground on Saturday, as protesters hurling paving tiles confronted police firing teargas canisters.

The clashes started after about 300 mainly young people took part in a largely peaceful demonstration outside the interior ministry building in Habib Bourguiba Avenue. They called for the resignation of Beji Qaid Sebsi, the prime minister, and protested against police violence against demonstrators at a marches on Thursday and Friday.

A 24-year-old IT technician, giving his name only as Nizar, explained that he had decided to come to Saturday’s protest after seeing a video on Facebook that apparently showed police violence against a young woman demonstrator the previous day.

“I was one of the protesters against [former president Zein al-Abidine] Ben Ali,” before he was ousted from office in January, he said. “I’m one of those people who said we would let the new government work and give it a chance.” But he had been disillusioned by the actions of the transitory government, such as failure to bring criminal charges over the deaths of demonstrators in the lead-up to the January 14 revolution, he said.

Other protesters carried signs declaring “The revolution has gone sour. The police ‘protect’ us with blows,’and ‘Yes to defending the revolution. No to the RCD big guys,’ referring to the former ruling party.

After some protesters threw stones at the police, the police fired teargas canisters. Vans packed with black-balaclava clad policemen hurtled along side streets, firing tear gas at retreating demonstrators.

The clashes continued for more than two hours, as protesters repeatedly tried to return to Habib Bourguiba Avenue. Some set fire to a wooden barricade they had erected in a side street alongside the French embassy. Read more…

Un stade de football évacué après des violences

lefigaro.fr

07/05/2011

Le 8e de finale de Ligue africaine de football qui se jouait au stade de Radès a été interrompu samedi à dix minutes de la fin après un début d’incendie et des affontements.

Ce n’est pas dans la rue mais dans un stade que laviolence s’est manifestée samedi soir en Tunisie, lors d’un 1/8e de finales de la Ligue des champions africaine de foot disputée dans ls stade Radès, à une dizaine de kilomètres de la capitale.

Une poignée de hooligans a commencé à mettre le feu à une tribune avant la fin de la rencontre. D’autres sont entrés sur le terrain et ont frappé un arbitre. Dans le même temps, une dizaine de policiers ont frappé, sans ménagement, à coups de pieds et de matraque, un homme à terre qui leur a lancé une bouteille d’eau. La police a ensuite dispersé les 15.000 spectateurs à grand renforts de gaz lacrymogènes.

Ce déchaînement de heurts ferait presque oublier que se jouait un match entre entre le Club Africain (Tunis) et les Soudanais de Al-Hilal. Lire la suite…