Tunisians demonstrate outside government HQ in Tunis

By Eman Ghali and Seifeddin Majdoub

TUNIS (AA) - Dozens of Tunisians demonstrated on Friday outside the government’s provincial headquarters in Tunis to demand the annulment of controversial legislation.

Protesters demanded the revocation of a recently approved financial law, vowing to hold a “national march” on Jan. 14 -- the seven-year anniversary of Tunisia’s revolution -- if their demands were not met.

Addressing protesters, campaign coordinator Wael Nawar vowed to organize a mass sit-in outside parliament or the presidential palace if the unpopular law was not speedily revoked.

Some protesters tried to breach a security barrier set up outside the provincial HQ but were prevented from doing so by police, according to an Anadolu Agency covering Friday’s demonstration.

"The people want the budget reduced!” protesters shouted, describing Tunisia’s current cabinet as a “starvation government”.

According to activist Nawar, similar protests were being organized in several other parts of the country, including Tunisia’s protest-prone Kasserine and Sidi Bouzid provinces.

Since Monday, Tunisia has been rocked by popular protests against a raft of unpopular government austerity measures.

According to the Interior Ministry, more than 700 people have so far been detained for clashing with police and inciting “riots”.