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| Tear gas is seen as protesters clash with riot police attempting to disperse the crowd in the city of Kairouan, May 19, 2013. |
Radical Islamists in Tunisia have engaged in street battles with police
after authorities banned thousands of them from holding an annual
conference in the center of the country.
The radical activists, also known as Salafists, threw stones at Tunisian police who deployed heavily in the central town of Kairouan to prevent them from gathering on Sunday. Police responded to the stone throwers by firing tear gas.
The Tunisian government had banned the conference by the Ansar al-Shariah group as a threat to public order. The group openly supports al-Qaida.
Some Ansar al-Shariah supporters tried to rally instead in a suburb of the capital Tunis on Sunday and hurled rocks at authorities in anger at the ban. Police in the Ettadamen district also fired tear gas to disperse the rioters.
Ultraconservative Muslim groups have been trying to expand their influence in Tunisia, attacking what they see as signs of impiety. Secular Tunisians have expressed alarm, fearing the Salafists will try to impose their strict views on other people and undermine individual freedoms and democracy.
The radical activists, also known as Salafists, threw stones at Tunisian police who deployed heavily in the central town of Kairouan to prevent them from gathering on Sunday. Police responded to the stone throwers by firing tear gas.
The Tunisian government had banned the conference by the Ansar al-Shariah group as a threat to public order. The group openly supports al-Qaida.
Some Ansar al-Shariah supporters tried to rally instead in a suburb of the capital Tunis on Sunday and hurled rocks at authorities in anger at the ban. Police in the Ettadamen district also fired tear gas to disperse the rioters.
Ultraconservative Muslim groups have been trying to expand their influence in Tunisia, attacking what they see as signs of impiety. Secular Tunisians have expressed alarm, fearing the Salafists will try to impose their strict views on other people and undermine individual freedoms and democracy.
Sources :
http://www.voanews.com/content/islamists-riot-in-tunisia-after-major-rally-is-banned/1663938.html
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