Tunisia: Schools and universities shut down as teachers join protests

Officials say 23 people have died since the unrest began but union activists believe the number is at least 50. In an attempt to stem the unrest, Tunisia’s President, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, has dismissed the minister with responsibility for policing after eyewitnesses complained that the police used excessive force and fired tear gas at demonstrators. The protesters say that they are angry about rising food and fuel prices, high unemployment and corruption. This economic discontent has led to Tunisia's most significant unrest in ten years. Despite the country having been praised recently as an ‘economic success’ by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the gap between rich and poor is widening, while the cost of living is increasing, and the levels of endemic corruption have rocketed. Last week, teachers went out on strike alongside thousands of students and other trade unionists to call for jobs and an end to corruption. They have also called for an end to brutal repression and the extreme violence that has been used against demonstrators. On 17 December, Mohammed Bouazizi, a young graduate, committed suicide by dousing himself in petrol and setting light to himself outside the city hall when police confiscated the fruit and vegetables he was selling on a street stand. The police claimed Bouazizi did not have a vendor's license. Tunisia's higher education union, FGESR, has called students, teachers and the wider community to gather in front of Tunis Law University today to protest against the murder of Hater Ben Tahar, a science teacher at the University of Gabès, who was shot to death during a protest in the city of Douz. The conflict has spread to neighbouring Algeria, where four people have been killed and where the economic discontent is similar to Tunisia despite both countries being among the world’s biggest exporters of natural gas. EI strongly condemns the loss of innocent lives and calls on the Tunisian authorities to open dialogue to tackle the problems facing the country.

[Thu, 13 Jan 2011 09:43:12 +0000] | DIGG THIS