Tunisian opposition defies protest ban with rally

Hundreds of opposition supporters in Tunisia defied an official ban on their protest against the president on Sunday after some of their leaders were arrested, breaking through a police barrier in central Tunis to rally in the city’s main street.
Before the protesters broke through the barrier, police warned them by loudspeaker that their demonstration was illegal but added that they would not stop them by force.
Up to a thousand protesters then pushed a way through the cordon to reach Habib Bourguiba Avenue where most rallies take place.
The National Salvation Front coalition combines Tunisia’s biggest party, the Islamist Ennahda, the Stop the Coup protest movement and some other political parties, demanding that President Kais Saied step down.
Sunday’s protest is being watched to see how far the National Salvation Front and its constituent parts can mobilise supporters in public after the arrests, and how much force the police are willing to use against them.