Tunisia: Street protests in video

A sense of uncertainty continues to grip Tunisia after almost a month-long mass uprising over high unemployment led to the ousting of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

The former strongman fled on January 14 to Saudi Arabia , where he was granted asylum. Public frustration has boiled into a series of nationwide demonstrations against government policies that have allegedly favored the country’s ruling family – part of a small elite – for more than two decades.

Since December 17, at least 78 people have been killed in police attempts to crush demonstrations across the North African nation, according to Tunisia’s interior minister.

On January 5, Al Jazeera published videos from the first few weeks of protests. Following are a series of videos from the past ten days of protests in Tunisia.

A solidarity rally on January 9 commemorated victims who died in protests at Kasserine and other towns throughout Tunisia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4qsmaIq9-A?fs=1

Video footage shows a large number of people rushed to a hospital apparently being wounded during a police crackdown on protests in Kasserine two days later.

Then protests erupted in the Riyadh neighborhood of Tunis – among other places – on January 11:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9n-sUN2XYc?fs=1

Riots rung out in Sfax on January 12, with an estimated 30,000 people participating:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-IDIfzpXGg?fs=1

Demonstrators are seen burning Ben Ali’s photo in an unknown city:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE6wO1GykKc?fs=1

The next video starts with footage of a dead man who sustained a bullet wound in his chest, evidently from police sniper fire in the city of Kasserine.

Men surround the body to discuss in shock the mysteriousness of the shot. Later in the video is footage of police firing at protesters during clashes. Then the subject is doctors protesting in the city of Sousse on January 13, holding up Arabic signs that say, “Stop the killing”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXkDbuCguMY?fs=1

Raw Russia Today footage depicts police firing rubber bullets at protesters on January 14. The clashes started after a van passed by carrying a protester reportedly shot the day before by police.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omWjoDlS0LE?fs=1

In a video posted by Nawaat, protesters call in French for Ben Ali’s party, RCD, to step down:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vnwbUck2jE?fs=1

Although the toppling of Ben Ali brought a sense of catharsis across Tunisia, an interim government led by the country’s prime minister has included many members of Ben Ali’s party, RCD, sparking fresh protests in the country. One of Tunisia’s best known opposition figures, Moncef Marzouki, on January 17 branded his country’s new government a “masquerade” still dominated by supporters of Ben Ali.

A lack of a coherent political opposition has been identified by analysts as an obstacle in the path to establishing a real democracy. In the meantime, an investigation into the alleged corruption of politicians under Ben Ali’s rule is set to begin, and political prisoners will reportedly be released soon. 

Initially, Mohammed Ghannouchi, the prime minister, became the interim president, and then Fouad Mebezaa became the new acting president. Ghannouchi was to re-assume the role of PM.

Ghannouchi promised to create a new coalition government both to ward off further protests directed at the ruling party and to undercut gunmen loyal to the ex-president.

Yet the demonstrations have not abated, despite attempts at a unity government. A January 17 YouTube video by one of Al Jazeera’s correspondents in Tunisia, Ayman Mohyeldin, shows Tunis police dispersing protesters with a water cannon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iveCMXSgAvU?fs=1