Sunday, December 26, 2010

Why the silence about Tunisia? Because it is a friendly police state

"One person was killed and others injured when Tunisia's National Guard members opened fire on angry protesters in the town of Menzel Bouzaiene over the weekend.  The state-run news agency TAP quoted an unnamed security official as saying that guard members were forced to use their weapons in self-defense after "a group of individuals set ablaze a railway engine and set fire to three National Guard vehicles before raiding the city's National Guard station."  The source added that several guard members were burned, including two who fell into a coma. Mohamed Fadel, leader of the secondary school union in Menzel Bouzaiene, identified the man who died as Mohamed Ammari, 18.  "Several thousands took part in the riot. Many arrests have been made and the whole town, which is located in the governorate of Sidi Bouzid, has been sealed off by security officers," Fadel told Agence France-Presse.  The death comes as riots and demonstrations against unemployment and poor living conditions entered their ninth day in Sidi Bouzid. Unrest scattered across the region after the suicide attempts of two young persons last week."