Celebration and protests mark Tunisia’s new Revolution Day

By FRANCESCA EBEL
Associated Press

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Opponents and supporters of Tunisia’s leader held rival demonstrations on the new date President Kais Saied chose to mark the country’s Revolution Day. A few hundred demonstrators gathered in Tunis on Friday morning to protest Saied’s consolidation of power and his actions that have raised fears of democratic backsliding. Saied announced this week that he would prolong his suspension of parliament until Tunisia’s December 2022 election. The president previously moved the country’s official Revolution Day from Jan. 14 to Dec. 17. The new date marks the day a fruit seller set himself on fire, a desperate act that set off an uprising that spread to other countries in what became known as the Arab Spring.