Hundreds of opposition supporters in Tunisia have defied a protest ban and demanded the release of more than 20 prominent figures opposed to the president who have been arrested in recent weeks.
Before the protesters broke through a police barrier to rally on Sunday in central Tunis, police warned them by loudspeaker that their demonstration was illegal but that they would not stop them by force.
Up to 1,000 protesters then pushed through the cordon to reach Habib Bourguiba Avenue, where most rallies take place.
The National Salvation Front coalition combines Tunisia’s biggest party, the Ennahdha, the Stop the Coup protest movement and some other political parties demanding that President Kais Saied step down.
Sunday’s protest is being watched to see how far the National Salvation Front and its constituent parts can mobilise supporters in public after the arrests, and how much force the police are willing to use against them.
Credit: Aljazeera.com
