Protests erupt for 2nd day in Tunisia after 3 students killed in school wall collapse
Wall collapsed during strong winds in Mezzouna
TUNIS, Tunisia/ISTANBUL
Protests resumed Wednesday in Mezzouna in the Sidi Bouzid province for a second consecutive day following the deaths of three students after part of a secondary school wall collapsed.
Footage on social media by activists showed a march moving through the city, alongside meetings at the secondary school, condemning the government's neglect of Mezzouna and the city’s poor infrastructure.
The wall collapsed Monday during strong winds. Media reports said the wall dated to the 1980s and was already at risk of collapsing.
Protesters are also voicing anger at the arrest of Mohamed Kthiri, the principal of the school, viewing him as a “scapegoat,” according to an Anadolu correspondent.
Witnesses told the Turkish news agency that a heavy security presence had been deployed in the city since Tuesday in response to the protests.
They also reported use of tear gas by security forces to disperse demonstrators on the streets of Mezzouna.
Walid Jed, a civil society activist in Mezzouna, said protests would continue to reject the security-driven approach.
“Multiple security assaults on residents took place last night,” he told Anadolu, emphasizing that civil society rejects those tactics, and stressed that the solution lies in “addressing the city's social and economic challenges.”
Jed also announced that civil society groups in Mezzouna have rejected the arrest of the principal.
He added that protesters and activists are calling for “fair social and economic development to uplift the city,” warning that relying on security repression “has proven to fail since 2010,” referencing the revolution that toppled former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
A witness from Mezzouna told Anadolu, on condition of anonymity, that the city saw “the arrival of around 100 police vehicles Tuesday night, with tear gas used heavily and electricity cut off in main streets.”
Hundreds participated in the funeral procession Tuesday for two of the victims, one day after the third was buried.
