Tunisian Protests (2018)

The 2018 Tunisian Protests were a series of protests occurring throughout Tunisia in January and February of 2018 over the high cost of living and taxes. It was the first event of the ongoing Second Arab Spring.

Background

After the 2011 Revolution, Tunisia was widely seen as the only democratic success story in the Arab Spring. However, the country has subsequently had nine governments, none of which were able to tackle the country's growing economic problems. On the 1st of January, 2018, the government raised taxes on petrol, phones, housing, internet usage, food and makeup. Several leftist political parties announced the organisations of protests on January 14th, the anniversary of the revolution.

Events

What actually happened during the protests is unclear besides the burning down of a regional national security headquarters near the Algerian border, 50 police were injured, 237 people were arrested and 2,100 soldiers were deployed to protect key institutions.

Results

The protests led to a repeal of the new taxes and the blaming of the protests on anarchists.

References

Wikipedia - 2018 Tunisian protests