Tensions are running high in Tunisia as opponents and supporters of President Kais Saied staged rival rallies in the capital city of Tunis, highlighting the country’s deepening political divide.
The anti-Saied demonstration, which drew thousands of protesters, accused the president of using the judiciary and police to suppress critics and undermine democracy.
Protesters chanted slogans such as “Saied go away, you are dictator” and “The people want the fall of the regime,” echoing the chants of the 2011 Arab Spring uprising that toppled former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
In response, Saied’s supporters held a counter-rally, chanting “No to foreign interference” and “The people want Saied again.”
The rival demonstrations were separated by a heavy deployment of riot police, who worked to prevent clashes between the two groups.
The protests come amid a months-long government crackdown on Saied’s critics,
