Tunisians’ Anger on Display at Funeral - NYT.

The funeral cortege was followed by tens of thousands of people and whilst the funeral itself was peaceful  the police used teargas to disperse youths who were setting cars on fire. The people faced the fear that political violence seen also in Egypt and Libya could subvert all the hardf wongains of the revolution against former president Ben Ali-had it all been for nothing?

Chokri Belaid's vocal criticism of the Ennhada party and the death threats he received from salafists led supporters  and his family to blame the Islamists for his death but the identy of his killers is unknown which raises fears  of more assassinations as the government launches an investigation. The failure to act against widespread salafist violence  has discredited the Ennhada government. The night before his death Chokri Belaid recounted how he had called the Minister of Interior as his party's meeting was being attacked by  Ennhada linked the League for the protection of the revolution. Nothing was doneand the police whowere close by onl;y intervened after the event.

The large numbers attending the funeral attested to  the polarisation of secular and religious forces the NYT points out. The struggle has become a question of identity,it points out,but the people are worried that Tunisia which has always been a peaceful country will go the way of Egypt which has seen 50 dead in confrontations in this week alone or that assassinations will become a regular even as in Libya. The increasing number of weapons found in Tunisia and the presence of Al Qaeda are causes for concern.

However the number of   people demonstrating against violence is encouraging and the brave initiative by   Hamadi Jebali to form a government of technocrats despite opposition by some in Ennhada may yet succeed. As Jeune Afrique highlights this week the widespread long term  unemployment amongst the young is eroding  Tunisian society and whilst the confrontation between islamists and secular  over individual freedom is there the economy and unemployment remains the greatest challenge which the islamists are failing to meet. The NYT reports that a speaker at the funeral called for Tunisians to come together  and that the revolution continues, but this depends on the islamists and secularists resolving their differences which they have so far failed to do.