Tunisian Officials Ban Weekend Demo against Extremism
Officials in Tunisia's interior ministry said Friday they had banned a demonstration against Salafist extremism planned for this weekend, raising the prospect of fresh clashes on the streets.
Activists using the Internet had called for the protest for Saturday on the city's main thoroughfare, avenue Habib Bourguiba.
But in a statement published on its Facebook page, the interior ministry said it was illegal because nobody had asked for authorization.
The ministry "reserved the right to react," the statement added.
On April 9, a demonstration on the same avenue went ahead despite having been banned but was violently broken up by the security forces, provoking widespread anger.
At least 15 civilians and eight policemen were hurt, Interior Minister Ali Larayedh was summoned before parliament to explain what had happened and President Moncef Marzouki denounced the "unacceptable violence".
Activists called for Saturday's "day of anger" protest in response to violence last weekend in the northeast of the country, when radical Salafist groups attacked several police stations.
The ultra-conservative Salafists, some armed with clubs and swords, also burned down the shops of alcohol vendors who refused to close. They have been intensifying their attacks over the last 11 days.
One group of activists said that they had filed a request for the demonstration on time.
Source: Agence France Presse
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