Hundreds of protesters gathered Saturday on the central Tunis thoroughfare Avenue Bourguiba to demand the release of those arrested during clashes with police during the past week. Human rights groups say some 1,000 people were detained and dozens ordered jailed for vandalism and theft.
The protesters denounce what they say are broken economic promises from the government in the country that unleashed the Arab Spring uprisings a decade ago. With a third of young Tunisians out of work, most protesters are disillusioned youth with disparate grievances.
At Saturday's protest, organized by human rights groups and left-wing political parties, security forces struggled to contain demonstrators denouncing police repression and hurling insults at officers, who repeatedly charged the crowd.
"No more fear, the street belongs to the people!" shouted demonstrators, and others chanted, "The people want the fall of the regime!" The crowd also chanted the slogan of Tunisia's 2010-11 revolution: "Employment, freedom, dignity."
The demonstration had been authorized for two hours, and police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds when the two hours were up.
According to the new virus rules announced Saturday, gatherings will be prohibited in public areas until February 14 and the country's existing 8 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew will be extended until then, Tunisian Health Ministry spokesperson Nissaf Ben Alaya said.
