Tens of thousands of Tunisians marched through the capital on Saturday, October 17, in the largest protest in years, demanding the return of democratic freedoms and an end to the concentration of power under President Kais Saied.
According to Asharq Al-Awsat English, the demonstration was led by the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) together with the Human Rights League, the Bar Association and the Journalists' Union. It drew opposition parties from across the political spectrum, alongside lawyers, doctors, journalists and unemployed citizens, in a rare display of unity after years of division among the President's opponents.
A March Through the Capital
Demonstrators gathered at Mohamed Ali Square, the UGTT headquarters, before marching down Habib Bourguiba Avenue, the same boulevard that witnessed the protests which ignited the Arab Spring fifteen years ago. Hundreds of police officers were deployed across the capital, and several neighborhoods were closed off. The march proceeded under the slogan “Tunisia First… The People Above All Else,” with protesters waving national flags.
Reuters reported that the crowds chanted demands for freedoms, judicial independence, an end to the prosecution of political opponents and an end to infringements on trade union rights. Banners expressed frustration over unemployment and failing public services.
“Tunisia's crisis today is fundamentally the result of one person monopolizing all powers,” UGTT Secretary-General Slah Eddine Salmi told the crowds.
“Enough is enough! The country is collapsing. We suffer from power and water cuts, and one crisis after another,” said Yassine Gharseli, a protester who travelled from Sfax, some 250 km south of Tunis.
“I came from Sfax to stand up for my freedom and I'm not about to give up, even if I become the last voice in the country,” he added.
Boubaker Ben Thabet, head of Tunisia's National Bar Association, said civil society groups were “uniting today to defend citizens' right to live in dignity and work freely, as guaranteed by international conventions and the constitution.”
Economic Collapse Feeds the Unrest
The protest unfolded against a backdrop of a deepening economic crisis. Tunisians face repeated water and electricity outages, shortages of medicines and basic goods, and mounting unemployment. Separate demonstrations by the jobless have multiplied in recent weeks, demanding faster implementation of a law passed a year ago to hire people out of work for more than a decade.
Opposition groups are also demanding the release of dozens of political figures imprisoned for more than three years. Local and international human rights organizations accuse Saied of tightening his grip on civil society and jailing journalists and opposition leaders, with some describing the country as an open-air prison.
Saied's Position and the 2021 Precedent
Saied rejects accusations of authoritarianism. He insists he is not a dictator and says he is determined to purge the country of those he calls traitors, corrupt figures and conspirators. He accuses his opponents of manufacturing economic crises to fuel social unrest and destabilize Tunisia from within.
The standoff traces back to 2021, when Saied consolidated control over most state powers, dissolved the elected parliament, began ruling by decree, disbanded the judicial council and dismissed dozens of judges. His critics called those moves a coup.
A Lesson in Ordered Change
For outside observers, and for small nations that value stability, the Tunisian spectacle carries a familiar warning. The 2011 revolution promised dignity and prosperity; fifteen years later the country is poorer, its services broken and its streets once again echoing the slogan “the people want the fall of the regime.” Street agitation has delivered Tunisia neither bread nor accountable government, only a cycle of crisis.
Saied's answer, that foreign hands and internal conspirators engineered the hardship, will be tested in the weeks ahead. Whether the unified opposition can hold together after years of rivalry remains uncertain. What is certain is that Tunisia's difficulties, from water cuts to medicine shortages, will not be resolved by slogans alone.
FAQ
Who led the October 2026 protest in Tunisia?
The march was led by the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), joined by the Human Rights League, the Bar Association, the Journalists' Union and opposition parties from across the political spectrum.
What are the protesters demanding?
They are demanding the restoration of democratic freedoms, judicial independence, the release of imprisoned opposition figures, an end to prosecutions of political opponents and action on unemployment and failing public services.
Why is President Kais Saied controversial?
In 2021 Saied dissolved parliament, began ruling by decree, disbanded the judicial council and dismissed dozens of judges, moves his critics described as a coup. He rejects accusations of authoritarianism and says he is fighting corruption and conspiracy.