Al Jazeera News :
Protests erupted in Tunisia after the death of a journalist who set himself on fire to protest against economic hardship in the North African nation, prompting clashes with police.
Abderrazak Zorgui, a 32-year-old journalist, posted a video online before his self-immolation in the city of Kasserine, describing his desperation for a revolution over poor living condition and corruption.
He expressed his frustration at unemployment and the unfulfilled promises of Tunisia’s 2011 Arab Spring revolution.
Authorities said Zorgui died of his injuries on Monday soon after being taken to hospital.
His action triggered a protest on Monday night in Kasserine that degenerated into violence, with police firing tear gas to disperse crowds blocking the main street, setting tyres ablaze and throwing stones at police.
Interior ministry spokesperson Sofiane Zaag said on Tuesday that six police officers were injured and several people arrested in the protest.
A new protest was held on Tuesday night in Kasserine, with new tensions with police, and other actions were reported elsewhere.
Authorities also deployed reinforcement on the main streets of Kasserine, 270km from the capital, Tunis.
“For the sons of Kasserine who have no means of subsistence, today I start a revolution. I am going to set myself on fire,” Zorgui said in the video published before his death.
In late 2010, a similar self-immolation by Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor lamenting unemployment, corruption and repression, led to nationwide protests fueled by social media that brought down Tunisia’s long-time authoritarian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.
That ushered in democracy for Tunisia and unleashed similar movements around the Arab world.
Protests erupted in Tunisia after the death of a journalist who set himself on fire to protest against economic hardship in the North African nation, prompting clashes with police.
Abderrazak Zorgui, a 32-year-old journalist, posted a video online before his self-immolation in the city of Kasserine, describing his desperation for a revolution over poor living condition and corruption.
He expressed his frustration at unemployment and the unfulfilled promises of Tunisia’s 2011 Arab Spring revolution.
Authorities said Zorgui died of his injuries on Monday soon after being taken to hospital.
His action triggered a protest on Monday night in Kasserine that degenerated into violence, with police firing tear gas to disperse crowds blocking the main street, setting tyres ablaze and throwing stones at police.
Interior ministry spokesperson Sofiane Zaag said on Tuesday that six police officers were injured and several people arrested in the protest.
A new protest was held on Tuesday night in Kasserine, with new tensions with police, and other actions were reported elsewhere.
Authorities also deployed reinforcement on the main streets of Kasserine, 270km from the capital, Tunis.
“For the sons of Kasserine who have no means of subsistence, today I start a revolution. I am going to set myself on fire,” Zorgui said in the video published before his death.
In late 2010, a similar self-immolation by Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor lamenting unemployment, corruption and repression, led to nationwide protests fueled by social media that brought down Tunisia’s long-time authoritarian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.
That ushered in democracy for Tunisia and unleashed similar movements around the Arab world.
