Calls were renewed in Tunisia to take to the streets again on September 26; Rejecting the decisions of Qais Saeed, which his opponents describe as a coup and a serious breach of the country’s constitution.

Hundreds of Tunisians demonstrated on September 18 in Habib Bourguiba Street in the capital, calling for the restoration of the country’s constitution, the defense of democracy, and the rejection of the exceptional measures announced by Said on July 25.

On the evening of Monday, September 20, in front of dozens of his supporters who were allowed to bypass the gates of the state headquarters of Sidi Bouzid, the President of the Republic, Kais Saied, gave a speech broadcast on Tunisian state television, which was described as “convulsive”, in which he directed a torrent of accusations against his opponents.

The Tunisian president renewed his defense of his exceptional decisions taken last July, saying: “There was no democratic transition; Rather, it moved from corruption to another, and it was necessary to resort to Article 80 of the Constitution.”

break the silence

The vigil that took place in Habib Bourguiba Street in the center of the capital, Tunis, is considered the first and most important since Kais Saied announced his decisions, and came in response to a call made by a number of political activists, in an appeal under the title “Citizens against the coup.”

This stand was only an announcement of the beginning of weekly movements in the center of the capital Tunis and in the city centers, as a number of activists launched a new call to take to the streets on September 26, coinciding with the passage of two months since the decisions of Kais Saied.

Observers believe that this move broke the wall of silence and the barrier of going down to the street, which was imposed by a media propaganda promoting Qais Saeed’s decisions and the absence of any opposing voice, which was confirmed by the report issued by the Audiovisual Media Authority for its evaluation of media coverage after July 25, 2021.

popular opposition

Activists calling for the second vigil chose to stand under the “Citizens Against the Coup” banner; Confirmation from them that their movement comes in the context of a popular path that began in 2010, and continues until now in all the stations that the country has experienced.

In an interview with Arab Post, political activist Amanallah El-Gohary considered that “the movement of the Tunisian street since the 2011 revolution has been the most capable element in creating balance with all attempts to deviate from the path, apostasy from the revolution’s gains, or denial of its political, economic and social entitlements.”

The spokesman considered that “the Qais Saeed system is trying to besiege the public space and erase the street element from the Tunisian political equation through stigmatization and creating a false polarization either behind the coup or behind political corruption and the negative outcomes of the political process over the past ten years, and this is what Qais Saeed himself expressed in a violent manner in his speech The last one is from Sidi Bouzid.

El-Gohary stressed that “the continuation of the street movement, preserving its basic character and protecting it from attempts at employment is the key to breaking this polarization and returning the entitlement to preserving democracy to the forefront of political interest, with what this slogan means a break with the revolutionary approach to imposing change and a strong and clear position on political corruption and the transformation of democracy into It is a means to serve private interests and not to achieve the public good.”

Absence of parties

Commenting on the parties’ absence from the street and their framing of any movements opposing the exceptional measures announced by Kais Saied, the Tunisian political activist stressed that this is “an additional factor that makes the spontaneous movement in the street a necessity to confront the July 25 coup, as the state of collapse experienced by the political class is Traditionalism in its various directions is a result of its political and moral legitimacy being shaken, its lack of any popular depth, or its alignment behind the president.. This means the absence of any real democratic political force capable of influencing public opinion and bringing balance to the scene.”

The political parties were satisfied with issuing successive statements expressing their rejection of individual rule and the continuation of the exceptional measures indefinitely, while the “Amal and Action” movement only called for a vigil on Habib Bourguiba Street; Rejecting the military trial of its head, Deputy Yassin al-Ayari, who is serving a prison sentence on charges of undermining the morale of the army.

El-Gohary, one of the activists participating in the “Citizens Against the Coup” initiative, added that “the grassroots popular movement that began on September 18, came in response to Qais Saeed’s adherence to his coup project, and the establishment of individual rule is a new round of this civil resistance.”

Street scare

Despite the passage of nearly two months since Said’s decisions, some voices, especially supporters of the President of the Republic, are still afraid to take to the streets, on the pretext of not creating a binary polarization that might drag the country into situations of violence or confrontation between citizens because of their political differences.

This fear has become espoused by even some opponents of Qais Saeed, especially after his last speech in which he leveled accusations against the demonstrators on September 18, in which he described them as hired, drunk and traitors.

He declared that he chose to deliver his speech “from the cradle of the revolution, not from the runways of the municipal theater,” criticizing the location of a demonstration against his coup against the constitution and the country’s democracy.

He considered that the protest two days ago was “a play with a well-known and unsuccessful director, and the actors are among the worst actors,” and that “there are those who are trying to sow discord and chaos among Tunisian citizens.”

He added that “there is no room for retreat, confusion or confusion,” noting that “some people denounced him as spreading chaos, sedition, confusion, panic and creating crises.”

For his part, the researcher and political analyst, Al-Amin Bouazizi, considered that “Going down and demonstrating to the street, his first philosophy is an expression of the citizen. If the citizen is elected as a ruler, he has the right to continue monitoring his performance and demonstrating against him, or, as Qais Said describes it, by withdrawing the agency. His tongue has also repeatedly declared that citizens have the right to withdraw the agency from their electors.

Bouazizi added in an interview with “Arabi Post”, “What the Tunisian revolution accomplished is that it unleashed citizenship to monitor the rulers, and not keep people between being a cheering audience or a frightened audience, and what Qais Saeed wants is to find an audience cheering for his decisions and speeches.”

The Tunisian political activist stressed that the highest goal in front of this movement called by “citizens against the coup”, its ceiling is to overthrow the coup and restore the democratic path, and democracy is not attributed to the July 24 scene of the ruler. .

Commenting on the intimidation of taking to the street, Bouazizi considered that “what is said of Sultan Ghashoum is better than a lasting oppression, this tyrannical sultan thought that sees the street’s vitality as sedition and sees that the street is nothing but a deaf unit either by appealing to the ruler or by expressing satisfaction with his decisions, when We are talking about a society talking about plurality, diversity and conflicting interests. There is no fear of difference, because it is an expression of the reality of things, and whoever tries to kill pluralism kills society and leads to an explosion.”

Arabic Post