Violent clashes erupted between angry protesters and Tunisian police on Sunday night in the marginalized suburb of Sijoumi, in response to repeated police abuses, increasing the pressure on Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi's government, which is facing widespread criticism. Dozens had protested earlier on Saturday in Habib Bourguiba Avenue, the main street in the capital, where police forcibly dispersed the demonstrators. Protesters threw chairs and stones at the police, who responded by kicking and beating the protesters with sticks, arresting several of them.
A video showing a police officer dragging a child after removing all his clothes sparked severe shock and anger across the country. This incident raises doubts about the credibility of the police reform plans in Tunisia following the 2011 revolution. The police officers involved in the incident have been suspended. The Prime Minister stated that the incident is unacceptable and shocking, but activists claimed that the recurring police abuses threaten to undermine the gains from the revolution that ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
On Tuesday, a young man died in Sijoumi after being detained by the police. The young man's family accuses the police of causing his death by hitting him on the head, a claim denied by the Ministry of the Interior. During the ongoing nighttime protests, demonstrators blocked roads in Sijoumi and threw stones at police vehicles, while the police used tear gas.
