Tunisia leader's opponents, supporters stage rival rallies in sharp political split
By Tarek Amara
TUNIS (Reuters) - Opponents of Tunisian President Kais Saied protested on the streets of Tunis on Thursday, accusing him of using the judiciary and police to suppress critics, while his supporters held a counter-rally, highlighting a deepening political divide.
The anti-Saied demonstration -- the second opposition protest in a week -- reflects growing concerns among human rights groups that the birthplace of the Arab Spring is sliding toward one-man rule.
Demonstrators on the capital's main thoroughfare chanted slogans such as "Saied go away, you are dictator" and "The people want the fall of the regime", a slogan reminiscent of the 2011 uprising that toppled former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
On the same street, Habib Bourguiba Avenue, Saied's supporters rallied in his defence, chanting, "No to foreign interference" and "The people want Saied again".
Riot police deployed in large numbers to separate the groups. No clashes were reported.
The demonstrations follow a months-long government crackdown on Saied's critics, including the detention last week of prominent lawyer Ahmed Souab, a fierce critic of the president.
On Thursday the anti-Saeid protesters marched from the headquarters of the Administrative Court, where Souab had served as a judge before retiring and becoming a lawyer widely respected by all political parties.
They then joined other protesters in a square that is home to the headquarters of the powerful UGTT union, before heading toward Habib Bourguiba Avenue.
Souab's arrest followed prison sentences handed down last week to opposition leaders on conspiracy charges, drawing criticism from France, Germany, and the United Nations.
Saied rejected the criticisms, calling it a blatant interference in Tunisia's sovereignty.
The opposition accuses Saied of undermining the democracy won in the 2011 revolution, since he seized extra powers in 2021 when he shut down the elected parliament and moved to rule by decree before assuming authority over the judiciary.
They described his move as a coup, while Saied says it was legal and necessary to end chaos and rampant corruption.
The leaders of most political parties in Tunisia are in prison, including Abir Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party, and Rached Ghannouchi, the head of Ennahda - two of Saied's most prominent opponents.
The government says there is democracy in Tunisia. Saied says he will not be a dictator, but insists that what he calls a corrupt elite must be held accountable.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump tariffs may remain in effect while appeals proceed, US appeals court rules
By Dietrich Knauth and Nate Raymond (Reuters) -A federal appeals court allowed President Donald Trump's most sweeping tariffs to remain in effect on Tuesday while it reviews a lower court decision blocking them on grounds that Trump had exceeded his authority by imposing them. The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C. means Trump may continue to enforce, for now, his "Liberation Day" tariffs on imports from most U.S. trading partners, as well as a separate set of tariffs levied on Canada, China and Mexico. The appeals court has yet to rule on whether the tariffs are permissible under an emergency economic powers act that Trump cited to justify them, but it allowed the tariffs to remain in place while the appeals play out. The Federal Circuit said the litigation raised issues of "exceptional importance" warranting the court to take the rare step of having the 11-member court hear the appeal, rather than have it go before a three-judge panel first. It scheduled arguments for July 31. The tariffs, used by Trump as negotiating leverage with U.S. trading partners, and their on-again, off-again nature have shocked markets and whipsawed companies of all sizes as they seek to manage supply chains, production, staffing and prices. The ruling has no impact on other tariffs levied under more traditional legal authority, such as tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled on May 28 that the U.S. Constitution gave Congress, not the president, the power to levy taxes and tariffs, and that the president had exceeded his authority by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law intended to address "unusual and extraordinary" threats during national emergencies. The Trump administration quickly appealed the ruling, and the Federal Circuit in Washington put the lower court decision on hold the next day while it considered whether to impose a longer-term pause. The ruling came in a pair of lawsuits, one filed by the nonpartisan Liberty Justice Center on behalf of five small U.S. businesses that import goods from countries targeted by the duties and the other by 12 U.S. states. Trump has claimed broad authority to set tariffs under IEEPA. The 1977 law has historically been used to impose sanctions on enemies of the U.S. or freeze their assets. Trump is the first U.S. president to use it to impose tariffs. Trump has said that the tariffs imposed in February on Canada, China and Mexico were to fight illegal fentanyl trafficking at U.S. borders, denied by the three countries, and that the across-the-board tariffs on all U.S. trading partners imposed in April were a response to the U.S. trade deficit. The states and small businesses had argued the tariffs were not a legal or appropriate way to address those matters, and the small businesses argued that the decades-long U.S. practice of buying more goods than it exports does not qualify as an emergency that would trigger IEEPA. At least five other court cases have challenged the tariffs justified under the emergency economic powers act, including other small businesses and the state of California. One of those cases, in federal court in Washington, D.C., also resulted in an initial ruling against the tariffs, and no court has yet backed the unlimited emergency tariff authority Trump has claimed. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
"We Voted For This Sh*t?!" — This Teacher's Teary Message After A School Graduation Was Disrupted By Nearby ICE Raids Is Going Viral
ICE raids have intensified across Los Angeles since Friday, June 6, with multiple businesses targeted and workers detained at various locations throughout the city. Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images In response to the heightened federal activity, anti-ICE protests have erupted across LA. Tensions have only grown since then, as Trump ordered 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the city — escalating fear among residents, especially within the undocumented community, who is estimated to make up roughly 10% of the population in the nation's second-largest city. Advertisement For Mr. Howie, a youth educator, paraprofessional, and behavior interventionist in Los Angeles, ICE's nearby presence impacted his school day, forcing his school into lockdown and allegedly disrupting a nearby elementary school's graduation. In a tearful, emotionally raw video that's since been viewed over 16 million times — more than the entire population of LA County — Mr. Howie documented his reaction to the unfolding events. @justsayuhatebasketball / Via "I can't handle this, y'all," he began, wiping tears from his eyes. "This is crazy, I didn't think this was about to affect me like this." Mr. Howie recounted how an elementary school nearby was in the middle of its graduation ceremony when word spread that ICE was in the area. "They were having their graduation and there's helicopters in the sky," he said, holding back tears. "Most of these schools are predominantly Hispanic." Soon after, he said, his own school went into lockdown. He said, "Our school goes on lockdown. Our principal, you know, tells us it's a drill, but we know it's not a drill... We got like a soft lockdown." Panic quickly spread, he said, as he heard from a coworker that some parents ran from the ceremony out of fear of being detained. "You know, parents had to run out because they don't have papers, and they had to leave their kids because the kids do," Mr. Howie continued, sniffling. Related: "Honestly Speechless At How Evil This Is": 26 Brutal, Brutal, Brutal Political Tweets Of The Week Advertisement "What type of shit is this, yo?" Mr. Howie asked, visibly upset. "And then kids are freaking grabbing teachers and crying on their leg because they don't know if they're about to see their parents when they get home." "What the fuck is this? And we voted for this shit?" he continued. "Fifteen people just got picked up on Wilshire at the Home Depot on Wilshire, man. Oh, my God. This is not right. This is not right, yo." While the school district later clarified that no ICE activity occurred at the elementary school graduation ceremony itself, agents were reportedly nearby — close enough to incite widespread fear. That day, 45 people were arrested in ICE raids in Los Angeles, including the nearly two dozen people at the Home Depot just a three-minute drive from the school. The confusion was enough to spark panic, and Mr. Howie's emotional video that followed. LAUREN PUENTE / Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images Related: AOC's Viral Response About A Potential Presidential Run Has Everyone Watching, And I'm Honestly Living For It Advertisement "This was just my raw, emotional reaction to the information given to me," Mr. Howie told BuzzFeed. "My school went on a 'soft lockdown' drill when they heard the news." He added that this wasn't the first time such fears have disrupted the school day this year. "We hear helicopters, and our guard goes up to make sure we protect our kids while also not startling them too much when we are not imminently in danger," he said. "While it did not happen at my school, I just fear for these kids because it certainly could." RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP via Getty Images As a paraprofessional, he explained how ICE's presence only adds more strain to an already high-stress job. "I'm already there to guide, provide, and protect them every day," he said. "Today, for example, I went to school and my kid wasn't there, so I had to leave because I'm a 1-on-1. So if he's not there, I'm not there. I was told his parents were too afraid to bring him because of what's going on." "Teachers are saying things like, 'I have papers and even I was afraid to come,'" he added. "This is all happening to people [whom] I have so much compassion for. This is a human thing." Mario Tama / Getty Images On social media, hundreds of thousands of people sent love to Mr. Howie and the communities impacted by the nearby raids. "Empathy is not something everyone has. Thank you for sharing," one top comment read. "Time to stand together and protect our communities," another wrote. "I can't imagine what these poor children are going through. This breaks my heart," another wrote. On X (formerly Twitter), one post summed it up: "an elementary school having to go on lockdown because the government of the country they lived in is a perceived threat, this is so fucking evil." As the video continues to spread, Mr. Howie said he hopes people understand the heart of the issue. "All I care about is the kids. This isn't political for me. It's personal. I see the faces of these kids every day and want them to know that I'm always going to show up for them," he told BuzzFeed. "This isn't about the 'legalities' for me. I just understand and can empathize with what it's like for an 8-year-old to go to school one morning and then never see their parent(s) again." "I will always show up for them," he said. And finally, he had one last reminder: "We're all human and all got here the exact same way." Advertisement Also in In the News: JD Vance Shared The Most Bizarre Tweet Of Him Serving "Food" As Donald Trump's Housewife Also in In the News: A NSFW Float Depicting Donald Trump's "MAGA" Penis Was Just Paraded Around Germany, And It' Also in In the News: This Senator's Clap Back Fully Gagged An MSNBC Anchor, And The Clip Is Going Viral
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump brings receipts he called Newsom amid LA riots as California gov claims there wasn't 'even a voicemail'
President Donald Trump hit back at Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's claims that the president did not recently call him, telling Fox News he spoke to the governor for about 16 minutes on Saturday. Trump told Fox News Tuesday while traveling to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, that Newsom did not pick up his first call over the weekend, but that he picked up the second call and the pair spoke for about 16 minutes on Saturday. "I told him to, essentially, 'Get his ass in gear,' and stop the riots, which were out of control," Trump said Tuesday. "More than anything else, this shows what a liar he is – said I never called." Trump provided a screenshot of the phone call dated June 7 at 1:23 a.m. White House director of communications Steven Cheung added in comment to Fox Digital Tuesday afternoon: "The President called Gavin Newsom to tell him to get his ass in gear. The Governor has clearly decided to disgustingly side with the violent rioters instead of protecting Californians. The only liar here is Newsom who continues to fail his state as he prioritizes doing interviews with leftist media to gaslight the public instead of helping his state." 'Delusional' Hillary Clinton Savagely Mocked For La Riots Response: 'Only Leftists Disable Comments' Read On The Fox News App Earlier Tuesday, Trump held an event addressing wildfire response and prevention from the Oval Office, where he fielded a handful of questions from the media regarding the ongoing anti-ICE riots in Los Angles, telling a reporter he spoke to Newsome "a day ago." "A day ago. I called him up to tell him (he's) got to do a better job. He's done a bad job," Trump said. In a response post on X, Newsom claimed Trump did not call him or leave a voicemail in the past day. "There was no call. Not even a voicemail. Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesn't even know who he's talking to," Newsom posted to X Tuesday afternoon, accompanied by video of Trump in the Oval Office. "This call is from 3 days ago," the governor's press office added on X following the White House's pushback on Newsom's claim that Trump did not call. Newsom's office added in an email to Fox News Digital Tuesday that: "The Governor's comment is clearly in regards to the President's comment this morning of 'a day ago,'" adding that Newsom had already confirmed his Saturday phone call in a media interview on Sunday. Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon added in a comment to the Sacramento Bee Tuesday: "I just personally looked through the governor's phone. No missed call. No voicemail. Nothing. The last time they spoke was Friday when the governor called him." Watch: Dem, Media Outlets Insist La Anti-ice Riots Are 'Peaceful' Despite Violence, Injured Cops Los Angeles descended into violent riots Friday when federal immigration officials converged on the city to carry out raids targeting illegal immigrants. Local leaders such as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Newsom, however, quickly denounced the raids in public statements while offering words of support for illegal immigrants in the state. Protests over the raids soon devolved into violence as rioters targeted and launched attacks on federal law enforcement officials. Trump announced Saturday that he was deploying 2,000 National Guard troops to help quell the violence. The Trump administration also deployed hundreds of U.S. Marines to respond to anti-immigration chaos on Monday evening as the violence continued. "If I didn't 'SEND IN THE TROOPS' to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now," Trump posted to Truth Social on Tuesday article source: Trump brings receipts he called Newsom amid LA riots as California gov claims there wasn't 'even a voicemail'
