After two days of mass demonstrations, regional strikes, clashes with the police and the occupation of some government buildings, today a general strike has been called in Tunisia to coincide with the funeral for Chokri Belaïd. For background read: Tunisia: towards a second revolution?"
[View the story “Tunisia general strike February 8” on Storify ]Tunisia general strike February 8 The assassination of Chokri Belaïd, leader of the Unified Party of Patriotic Democrats, on February 6 has unleashed the accumulated anger of the Tunisian workers and youth who feel that their revolution has been hijacked by the three party coalition government led by the Islamist Ennahda. Storified by
In the last few days, since the assassination of Chokri Belaïd on February 6th, a common feature of the protests throughout the country has been the attacks and burning down of offices of Ennahda. Here’s another report about two offices of the ruling Islamist party being torched in Nabeul as part of clashes between police and protesters last night
Nabeul: Deux sièges du mouvement Ennahdha incendiésLes mouvements de protestation continuent à travers la Tunisie et connaissent une croissance plus importante depuis l’assassinat de Chokr…
Another picture of the scene at the cemetery – according to reports small groups of masked thugs tried to break in to cars parked outside, the police used the excuse to fire tear gas cannisters with some of the mourners fighting back with stones (it seems like a classic text book provocation)
People by the thousands at #ChokriBelaid funeral. Can feel the tear gas here now from clashes outside #Tunisia http://pic.twitter.com/jIEN33fmtwitter.com
Reports of clashes between the police and demonstrators in Sousse
Tunisie – Sousse : Affrontements entre la police et les manifestantsActualites Tunisie – Tunisie Numerique : 1er site d’information Tunisie. Les news du journal tunisie et toute l’actualite et news Tunisie…
A video from earlier on, when the coffin of Chokri Belaid left the Culture House in Jebel Jloud for the cemetery. It captures very well the angry and defiant mood, as well as the size of the crowd.
Des milliers de personnes pour les funérailles de Chokri Belaid à Jebel Jloudbusinessnewscomtn
Shesh FM is reporting that in Siliana the League for the Protection of the Revolution, the gang of thugs linked to Ennahda, has officially announced its dissolution – MosaiqueFM reported earlier that the offices of Ennahda and the LPR were torched by the crowd – this shows that the way to deal with them is not through demanding that the government disbands them, but through the mass mobilisation of the revolutionary people – Siliana was the site of mass demonstrations, a general strike and clashes with the police which left 300 injured at the end of November in a spontaneous uprising demanding jobs and economic development.
Siliana:Les sièges d’Ennahdha et de la LPR incendiésLe siège du Mouvement Ennahdha et celui de la protection de la révolution LPR de la ville de Siliana ont été incendiés. Pour rappel le pr…
Some images of the funeral, from Tuniscope – shouts against Ghannouchi, the leader of ruling Islamist party Ennahda
IMG 1777TheTuniscope
a good picture gallery from the BBC
In pictures: Chokri Belaid’s funeralThousands of mourners in Tunisia attend the funeral of the opposition leader, Chokri Belaid, who was assassinated on Wednesday.
demonstrations and symbolic funerals are also taking place in dozens of cities and towns across the country – in Gafsa the riot police is using tear gas against the protestors
while tens of thousands are already gathering at Bourguiba Avenue
Av HB now #RipChokriBelaid http://pic.twitter.com/ju94QWZytwitter.com
a view of the crowd at the cemeteryw
#jalez #now #chokribelaid http://pic.twitter.com/h6FoOFN6twitter.com
Arrival of the son of Farhat Hached, the founder of the UGTT, assassinated by the “Red Hand” terrorist organisation at the service of French colonialism on December 5, 1952 – people sing the national anthem
Le fils de Farhat hached fait son entrée soulevé par la foule et avec l’hymne national.Immense émotion! #ChokriBelaid http://pic.twitter.com/vI5MuCpStwitter.com
The arrival of the executive committee of the UGTT trade union is greeted with applause:
Les membres du bureau exécutif de l’UGTT applaudis. #ChokriBelaid http://pic.twitter.com/FKyJ2kFgtwitter.com
“So many women, with and without the veil, young and not so young, all participating in the funeral defying tradition, extraordinary”
Toutes ses femmes voilées et non voilées, jeunes et moins jeunes au funérailles défiant l’usage, c’est extraordinaire!! #ChokriBelaidNaouel_B_J
#ChokriBelaid http://pic.twitter.com/a3n7w0nXÔ d’Issey
Mouldi Riahi, leader of the socialdemocratic Ettakol, part of the government coalition, is booed and forced to abandon the cemetery
People gathered everywhere
Le peuple te pleure ya #ChokriBelaïd http://pic.twitter.com/dzKNmNQRˡᶤᶬᶤᵗᵉᵈ ᵉᵈᶤᵗᶤᵒᶰسمـاح
The widow of Belaïd makes the victory sign
La veuve de #chokribelaid arborant le drapeau de la #tunisie et le V de la victoire,digne et courageuse http://pic.twitter.com/GBk5NIXglamia slim
A huge demonstration is also taking place in Sfax:
Tunisie – Sfax : Manifestation monstre et funérailles symboliqueLa ville de Sfax connait actuellement une grande manifestation en hommage au défunt Chokri Bélaïd. Les manifestants ont, par ailleurs, transporté un cercueil vide, dans des funérailles symboliques. La manifestation a démarré du local du Front populaire en direction du local de l’union régionale du travail.
Union representatives at Tunisair confirm the success of the general strike and the cancellation of all flights
Les syndicats de base de Tunisair confirment le succès de la grèveDans un communiqué publié sur la page Facebook officielle de l’UGTT, les syndicats de base de Tunisair ont annoncé que deux vols uniquement seront assurés, à savoir Bamako -Abidjan et Nouakchott- Dakar , tout en expliquant que ces derniers ont été lancés avant la date de la grève.
A human tidal wave marches towards El Jellaz cemetery
une marée humaine se dirige vers le cimitiere “El Jellaz” #ChokriBelaid #Tunisie http://pic.twitter.com/cn6GH6oItunisie14.tn
The widow of Chokri Belaïd made an appeal for women to be present at the funeral, which is unusual. This has led to a massive presence of women
L’appel de Besma, la veuve de #ChokriBelaid a ete entendu: beaucoup beaucoup de femmes au cortège. #TunisieOlfa Khamira
This statement from the Workers’ Left League, which is better in the sense that it calls for the formation of organs of dual power: “Get rid of the governors and delegates and elect activist local bodies to create a situation of dual power!”
Down with the government of murderers! – International Viewpoint – online socialist magazineThis morning a treacherous and obscurantist hand was raised to a assassinate the left leader and activist, comrade Chokri Belaïd, secretary general of the Parti des patriotes démocrates unifié [Party of United Democratic Patriots] and one of the leader of the Popular Front.
Read here the
statement of the Tunisian Workers Party on the assassination of Belaïd – note that while it calls for the removal of the current government, it talks of the formation of a “national salvation government”, but it does not say who should be part of it – it sets as the main task “the completion of the democratic transition” and does not mention any of the social and economic issues which are at the heart of the matter.
