On Sunday, thousands of Tunisians demonstrated in Hayreddin Pasha Street and marched towards the Habib Bourguiba Avenue amid a heavy security presence in Tunis against President Kais Saied’s initiatives on July 25 in seizing power in the country.
Amid calls for the release of activists and journalists held by the authorities, protestors were seen waving banners citing “Constitution, Freedom, National Dignity.”
Jawhar bin Mubarak, the spokesperson for a protest movement known as Citizens Against Coup, which called Sunday’s protests, expressed: “We are only against the coup, not against our people…. We invite our people to join us and our people will not be divided… Reform cannot be introduced under the sound of tanks and coups.”
On July 25, Saied ousted the government, suspended parliament, and assumed executive authority in Tunisia. While he insists that his “exceptional measures” are meant to “save” the country, critics accuse him of orchestrating a coup.
Saied’s seizure of power has been rejected by the majority of parties in Tunisia, with some accusing him of orchestrating a coup against the constitution. However, other parties think Saied’s decisions are correct in light of the political, economic, and health crises the North African country is currently facing.
