Tunisians protest at attacks on TV channel

With hardly a hijab in sight, thousands of Tunisians took to the streets of Tunis yesterday to defend their right to free speech and to denounce recent Islamic attacks on the Nessma TV channel for airing the film Persepolis.

Waving Tunisian flags and carrying placards and banners, the demonstrators shouted, “Ennadha out” – referring to the country’s newly-legal Islamic political party. One placard read: “Down with violence. Down with extremism.”

Persepolis – an animated film based on Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel – features a depiction of god.

“I like the movie… But not the depiction of Allah,” said Imene Amrani, a 25-year-old biology student. “A lot of Tunisians don’t accept it. But it causes problems if we do not accept each other’s opinions,” she added.

She was one of thousands who marched from Pasteur Square down Avenue Mohammed V to voice their opposition to recent attacks on the Nessma TV building earlier this month and a firebomb attack on the owner’s house on Friday night.

The march is a fightback by secularists who are worried that there will be a creeping Islamicisation of their society after the upcoming polls for a constituent assembly which are to be held on 23 October.

“After the 14 January revolution, Tunisia is like a mosaic,” said another demonstrator, Raouf Ben Taleb, a 57-year-old agricultural engineer and imam of a mosque in Tunis. He was jailed under the regime of deposed dictator Ben Ali for four years for practising his faith and denouncing the regime.

He attended the demonstration last Friday against the showing of Persepolis. “Tunisia is for all Tunisians, whether they are Muslim, Jewish, Catholic or Protestant,” he said.

Many of the marchers were well-heeled Tunisians and included some supporters of the former regime. A mix of the parties contesting the election were represented.

Hundreds of police were deployed to ensure security along the route and although a few arrests were made, it was mostly peaceful.

Demonstrators said police were being unusually friendly.