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February 25: Houcine Abbassi and Jrad, the current and former secretaries-general of the UGTT, led the march. Responding to a call from the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), some 4,000 demonstrators denounced the recent attacks on several of the union’s offices, which they attribute to the Islamist Ennahdha movement. “They want to silence us so they can have a monopoly on decision-making and decide our fate on their own. They want to terrorize us and sow fear in our hearts to prevent us from defending our causes and our rights, but we will not give in and we will not submit,” declared UGTT General Secretary Houcine Abassi. The procession marched down Bourguiba Avenue and gathered in front of the Ministry of the Interior. The demonstrators, joined by representatives from several left-wing parties, called for the resignation of the Ennahda-dominated government, which they accused of being a “lackey of colonialism” and “reactionary.” “The people want the regime to fall,” “Citizens, wake up—the government is making a mockery of you,” they chanted along the route. As the demonstration drew to a close, there were a few clashes with the police, who responded with tear gas and batons to stones thrown by the demonstrators.

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