Tunisian General Union of Labour   

Tunis 29 January 2011  

A few hours after the remaking of the the government that has hijacked our people's revolution, the newly appointed police chiefs and security apparatuses-known for their allegiance to the old regime-started a savage attack on non- violent activists sitting,for a few days in Al-Qasbah (govermental headquarters). They used prohibited tear-gas bombs, side arms, trained dogs, sticks, chains...”RCD militias” joined them to beat and even use fire arms against the unarmed militants, chasing them through the capital's streets and lanes.  

It seems that the illegitimate hijacker government aims, through bloody repressive means,at terrorizing our people and disable its resistance so that  to prove its power, re-enact its apparatuses to control the people, steal its wealth and go back to its dictatorial and corrupt methods.  

What happened during the last few days (27/28/29 Jan) has proved that the hijacker government took no real positive measures to freeze RCD's bank accounts which they still use to employ militias to terrorize non-violent militants. It has been also proved that the new government together with RCD's members helped Ben Ali's former followers and groups flee the country by giving them cover and refusing to bring them to justice. They also use the media and press to discredit the revolution so as to divide people and show militant teachers as enemies of the nation and of pupils.  

 

Given that, we the undersigned unions, condemns the attack carried out by the hijacker government police on those occupying Al-Qasbah and calls for an investigation of what happened in order to hold the perpetrators of such an act . Besides we express our condemnation of RCD's militias' attacks on some educational institutions, teachers and unions' headquarters. We also support people's demands to dissolve the RCD due to the crimes committed and still perpetrated against the Tunisian people. In addition, we call for an immediate establishment of a national council to protect the revolution. We also condemn the media for siding with the government and giving the public misleading information.

 

We, therefore, call the Tunisian people, militants, political parties and all elements of of the civil society to continue their struggle so as to achieve the Revolution's primary objectives: freedom, democracy and social justice.

Glory to our martyrs - Long live our people's struggle

 

- Ridha Ashtioui, General Secretary of the General Union of Media Counsellors, School and University Orientation.

- Hfaidth Hafaidth. the General Secretary of the General Union of Basic Education.

- Sami Attahri, the General Secretary of the General Union of Secondary Education.

 

[Translated by Tessy Cat and Nadim Mahjoub]