Tunisian police tear-gas protesters

Around 800 demonstrators - angry at police intervention in a protest earlier in the day - threw stones at security forces who replied with rubber bullets and tear gas.

On Thursday morning hundreds of demonstrators demanding the resignation of the Islamist-led government had forced their way into the provincial government headquarters, before police fired tear gas and warning shots into the air.

The demonstrators chanted anti-government slogans such as "The people want the regime to fall" accusing the ruling elite of hypocrisy and demanding the right to work.

Several opposition groups took part in the protest, including the Republican Party, the Tunisian Workers Party and al-Watan.

The Tunisian Workers Party denounced the tactics used by the police and reiterated its support for the protesters' demands, including the dismissal of the provincial governor, the head of the national guard and the public prosecutor.

Thursday's protests mirrored criticism of the government by opposition groups.

Ennahda, which leads the ruling coalition, has been accused of seeking to limit freedom of expression, most recently with a draft law to criminalise offences against "sacred values."

Another controversy has flared up over a proposed article in the new constitution that refers to the "complementarity" of men to women rather than their equality.

Around 200 protesters from opposition groups gathered outside the National Constituent Assembly in Tunis on Thursday to denounce the proposal.

foreigneditor@peoples-press.com