Tunisia National Guard Says Those Who Forced Country Leaders from Ceremony Will Be Prosecuted
The commander of Tunisia's National Guard Mounir Ksiksi vowed Friday that offenders would be prosecuted after protesting security forces drove the country's top leaders from a memorial ceremony for two policemen killed by militants.
Ksiksi condemned the behavior of his men and vowed to penalize those responsible.
"We understand that the agents are affected by the loss of their colleagues... But we do not accept such behavior, taking action against the country's leaders," he told private radio station Mosaique FM.
President Moncef Marzouki, Prime Minister Ali Larayedh and parliamentary speaker Mustapha Ben Jaafar were confronted by members of the security forces, some in uniform, shouting "Get out!" during the official ceremony at a military barracks in the Tunis suburbs.
"We won't accept the presence of politicians," shouted one of the protesters, as many of the demonstrators carried placards demanding laws to protect the police.
The Tunisian leaders, who had been waiting in an office at the barracks, left after about 20 minutes of jeers from the crowd, without attending the ceremony.
With the departure of the three top officials, only Interior Minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou remained for the memorial service.
The two policemen were killed on Thursday by an armed group in the Beja region, 70 kilometers (40 miles) west of Tunis.
Security force unions have organized several demonstrations in recent months to condemn the lack of resources for combating Tunisia's jihadists, who have carried out a string of attacks since the 2011 revolution, the first of the Arab Spring.
But this is the first time police representatives have directly blamed the country's top leaders, who normally attend memorial ceremonies for police and soldiers killed in combat.
Source: Agence France Presse
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