Tunis – Nabil Zaghdoud
Protests broke out Sunday in the Ettadhamen area in Tunis following the immolation of a 30 year old man by the name of Khaled al-Gebali. The young citizen from the governorate of Ariana, Saturday, set fire to himself in the street at the intersection of El Menzah VI. The young man sprayed himself with a flammable liquid before setting fire to himself. He died of his burns on the spot. Traffic was blocked for a short time before transferring the body to Charles Nicolle Hospital in Tunis. Following his funeral, hundreds of angry young men blocked traffic leading to Ettadhamen which is considered one the poorest neighbourhoods in Tunis. Young men also set fire to rubber tyres. According to preliminary information, the young man had been oppressed by a business man whom he worked for, and who refused to pay him for his employment. The businessman also accused al-Gebali of breaking into his house and called the police to interrogate him. The police apaprently sided with the businessman and the accused suffered psychological trauma. This, in addition to his poor social situation, led him to set fire to himself. The protesters vowed to take revenge on the businessman and raised banners to highlight conditions of poverty, marginalisation and unemployment as the factors behind why poor people like Khaled al-Gebali, committed suicide.