Tunisia leader's opponents, supporters stage rival rallies in political split
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.
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