Tunisians spill into the streets to demand better living conditions

Activists and the opposition in Tunisia have called for fresh protests to be held on Sunday, the seventh anniversary of the toppling of veteran dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The country has been convulsed by demonstrations since Monday with one dead, dozens of people injured and more than 800 arrested.

Nawres Douzi is in her early 20s and on the frontline of the fight against Tunisia's controversial finance law imposing tax hikes. She is the spokesperson for Fech Nestannew - or What are we waiting for? - a new youth movement.

Protesting runs in Ms Douzi's blood. Her father was a member of the Ennahda Movement, a democratic Islamist party while her mother was an active leftist who marched against Mr Ben Ali's regime in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Ms Douzi recalls protesting against an unpopular politician visiting her school when she was just 13 year old.

“We aren’t protesting for the downfall of the existing system - at least not yet,” said Ms Douzi. “We just want better living conditions, and to stop the privatisation of the government. A lot of people are already very needy, even in the middle class, this bill will make things much worse,” she added.The Tunisian government is under mounting pressure from the International Monitory Fund (IMF) to reduce its deficit. Last year the IMF agreed to a four-year loan programme worth about $2.8 billion with Tunisia, tied to economic reforms.

A controversial piece of legislation was introduced this year in an attempt to carry out these economic reforms.

The financial law reduces subsidies for basic foodstuff such as bread and pasta, among other staple items. Prices have also increased for fuel, while taxes on cars, phone calls, the internet, hotels and other items have gone up too.

The law also imposes a five year freeze on public sector recruitment, a one per cent cut to the public sector pay and preparations to sell off major public assets.

"The Tunisian people won't protest en-masse until they receive the first bill that they cannot afford to pay - we are trying to avoid that,” explained Ms Douzi.

While the majority of Tunisians understand the need for public sector reform, it is the drastic nature in which the measures have been introduced that has sparked anger and pushed Tunisians back onto the streets.

“You can’t just starve people at the expense of economics - it doesn’t work like that” said Zaid, a Computer Science graduate working at a coffee shop.

“I consider myself middle class and it’s becoming hard for me to survive, so what about the poorest? Let me say this, living standards are deteriorating, taxes are rising, the government says the price of staple goods is not rising - this is just not true,” Lina Ben Mheeni, 34, a blogger who was heavily involved in organising the 2011 demonstrations, told The National.But under the guise of night, some peaceful gatherings have turned violent. Looting and burning of state buildings has prompted the government to send the army into several cities and towns. On Tuesday, a Carrefour in one Tunis district was stormed and looted. On Friday a spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior put the number of arrests at 773.

"At night, it’s chaotic, the movement is ambiguous," said local journalist Aymenn Abderrahmen, 29. "You don’t know who is leading what - is the looting happening out of frustration, or despair?”

"We're concerned about the high number of arrests...around a third of those arrested were between the ages of 15 and 20, so very young," UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told reporters in Geneva.

Despite the widespread nature of the protests, with marches and clashes recorded in more than 20 towns and cities across the country, the movement has yet to reach the critical mass seen in 2011.

Activists believe that the key to achieving mass protests is getting the full backing of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), the country’s largest union and the winner of a Nobel Peace Prize for its role in the 2011 revolution.

With a membership of approximately 800,00 that reaches across all social classes, UGTT has the ability to mobilise large numbers of people in street demonstrations. They also have the power to call for a general strike, bringing the country to a near standstill. A one day general strike called by the union in July 2012, is estimated to have cost the economy hundreds of millions of dollars, and saw Tunisia’s currency plummet in value.

So far, UGTT has been ambiguous regarding its stance on the finance law. Critics say the union's new leader Noureddine Taboubi’s closeness to the Ennahda party is the reason for this.

Ms Ben Mheeni is unimpressed with the union's seeming indifference: “if they are on the side of the people, they have to come out against the bill,” she said.

Saturday morning appeared no different to any other day off in Tunis, with bustling trams running on time, open coffee shops and tourist buses parked along Avenue Bourguiba. On the surface, it was business as usual. But instead of tourists packing into the coaches, it was riot police. Uniformed and on call, ready to deploy at the hint of any gathering.

But grievances in Tunisia run deeper than a faltering economy. Members of Manich m’samih - or We do not forgive - came together under the shadow of a statue dedicated to thinker and historian Ibn Khaldun. They are the friends and family of those killed in the 2011 revolution, and they have campaigned vociferously against a controversial amnesty law that would see members of Mr Ben Ali’s regime released from jail. The law was passed last September, but the group continues to actively oppose and demonstrate against it.