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One man dies as police clash with tens of thousands of Ansar al-Sharia members in city of Kairouan after rally is shut down.
KAIROUAN, TUNISIAOne protester died and several were injured Sunday when Tunisian Islamists defied a ban on their demonstration and clashed with police in two cities.
About 11,000 police officers and soldiers blocked an annual conference at Tunisias main religious centre in the central city of Kairouan by a radical Islamist movement that has been implicated in attacks across the country.
Security checkpoints were in place and patrols were out in the streets after authorities declared the conference by the ultraconservative Muslim group Ansar al-Sharia a threat to security and public order.
Police clashed with tens of thousands of members of Ansar al-Sharia who had intended to go to the main rally. Protesters threw stones at police, who fired tear gas in response. Kairouan hospital reported that five civilians and four policemen were injured.
Far more serious was a confrontation between police and supporters of Ansar al-Sharia in the low-income Tunis suburb of Ettadamon, where police fired tear gas and shots into the air to disperse about 500 stone-throwing protesters, some of whom set fire to cars, lowered the Tunisian flag and replaced it with a black Al Qaeda banner.
The state news agency reported that a 27-year-old was killed and 11 policemen injured. The dead man was identified as Moez Dahmani.
Buses and the subway stopped working and shops in Ettadamon were closed, while military aircraft patrolled overhead. Clashes spread to two other areas of the capital.
The leader of Ansar al-Sharia, Seifallah Ben Hassine, is wanted for his involvement in a mob attack on the U.S. Embassy in September, and his followers have been accused of attacking art galleries, police stations and cinemas.
The robust response to the conference by security forces is unprecedented since the 2011 overthrow of President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, who presided over a strong police state. Tunisia was the first country to stage an Arab Spring uprising, inspiring similar revolutions in Egypt and Libya.
The government, led by the moderate Islamist Ennahda Party, has been under attack by ultraconservative Muslims, called salafis, who have become increasingly aggressive about preaching their conservative version of Islam.
Ansar al-Sharias combative rhetoric, however, appears to have united the country against it. In a national conference involving unions, civil society and political parties Thursday, Ansar al-Sharia was widely condemned. The discovery of Al Qaeda-linked militants in mountains along the Algerian border also alarmed people
Alaya Allami, an expert on Islamic movements in Tunisia, said Ansar al-Sharias more aggressive stance had resulted in a backlash in society and isolated it further.
The Tunisian army is hunting Al Qaeda-linked militants in Tunisias mountains of Jebel Chambi, and Allami said the operation and the approach of elections have threatened these radical currents and caused them to try to impose themselves more on the social scene.
The spokesman of Ansar al-Sharia, Seifeddine Rais, was detained by authorities Sunday morning. Rais on Thursday said authorities would bear responsibility for any blood spilled if they tried to ban the conference.
Security has been high around Kairouan since Saturday, with police checking IDs and searching the cars of anyone entering the city.
Residents appeared to welcome the security and handed out roses to patrolling police, offering them encouragement.
Last years Ansar al-Sharia conference in Kairouan drew about 4,000 attendees and featured sword-waving horse riders and martial arts displays, along with a great deal of fiery rhetoric.
Clashes erupt in Tunisia after radical movement’s conference banned | Toronto Star
Looks like chicken are coming home to roost
KAIROUAN, TUNISIAOne protester died and several were injured Sunday when Tunisian Islamists defied a ban on their demonstration and clashed with police in two cities.
About 11,000 police officers and soldiers blocked an annual conference at Tunisias main religious centre in the central city of Kairouan by a radical Islamist movement that has been implicated in attacks across the country.
Security checkpoints were in place and patrols were out in the streets after authorities declared the conference by the ultraconservative Muslim group Ansar al-Sharia a threat to security and public order.
Police clashed with tens of thousands of members of Ansar al-Sharia who had intended to go to the main rally. Protesters threw stones at police, who fired tear gas in response. Kairouan hospital reported that five civilians and four policemen were injured.
Far more serious was a confrontation between police and supporters of Ansar al-Sharia in the low-income Tunis suburb of Ettadamon, where police fired tear gas and shots into the air to disperse about 500 stone-throwing protesters, some of whom set fire to cars, lowered the Tunisian flag and replaced it with a black Al Qaeda banner.
The state news agency reported that a 27-year-old was killed and 11 policemen injured. The dead man was identified as Moez Dahmani.
Buses and the subway stopped working and shops in Ettadamon were closed, while military aircraft patrolled overhead. Clashes spread to two other areas of the capital.
The leader of Ansar al-Sharia, Seifallah Ben Hassine, is wanted for his involvement in a mob attack on the U.S. Embassy in September, and his followers have been accused of attacking art galleries, police stations and cinemas.
The robust response to the conference by security forces is unprecedented since the 2011 overthrow of President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, who presided over a strong police state. Tunisia was the first country to stage an Arab Spring uprising, inspiring similar revolutions in Egypt and Libya.
The government, led by the moderate Islamist Ennahda Party, has been under attack by ultraconservative Muslims, called salafis, who have become increasingly aggressive about preaching their conservative version of Islam.
Ansar al-Sharias combative rhetoric, however, appears to have united the country against it. In a national conference involving unions, civil society and political parties Thursday, Ansar al-Sharia was widely condemned. The discovery of Al Qaeda-linked militants in mountains along the Algerian border also alarmed people
Alaya Allami, an expert on Islamic movements in Tunisia, said Ansar al-Sharias more aggressive stance had resulted in a backlash in society and isolated it further.
The Tunisian army is hunting Al Qaeda-linked militants in Tunisias mountains of Jebel Chambi, and Allami said the operation and the approach of elections have threatened these radical currents and caused them to try to impose themselves more on the social scene.
The spokesman of Ansar al-Sharia, Seifeddine Rais, was detained by authorities Sunday morning. Rais on Thursday said authorities would bear responsibility for any blood spilled if they tried to ban the conference.
Security has been high around Kairouan since Saturday, with police checking IDs and searching the cars of anyone entering the city.
Residents appeared to welcome the security and handed out roses to patrolling police, offering them encouragement.
Last years Ansar al-Sharia conference in Kairouan drew about 4,000 attendees and featured sword-waving horse riders and martial arts displays, along with a great deal of fiery rhetoric.
Clashes erupt in Tunisia after radical movement’s conference banned | Toronto Star
Looks like chicken are coming home to roost
