Scuffles between protesters and police at protest

Scuffles broke out between protesters and police in the Tunisian capital on Saturday as demonstrators protested against an increase in prices of basic goods following the country's recent negotiations with the IMF.

Officers pushed back as protesters tried to break through police lines into a square in central Tunis near Parliament.

Attended by almost 2,000 people, the demonstration was organised by a right-wing political party known by its French acronym as the PDL, and whose populist leader Abir Moussi is nostalgic for the former dictatorship that was toppled in 2011.

Speaking at the sidelines of the demonstration Moussi accused the government of having a "destructive programme" that "must be exposed to Tunisians".

Many protesters were there to demand the overthrow of Tunisia's Islamist Ennahda party and the dissolution of Parliament, currently led by Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi.

They also demanded a reversal of price hikes that the Tunisian government has made through a programme to lift subsidies on basic products such as petrol, within the framework of a reform programme stipulated by the IMF so that Tunisia can obtain a new $4 billion loan — its fourth loan in 10 years.

One protester, Ahmed Majri, told the AP that people just wanted work, good healthcare and education.

Tunisia is facing an ever worsening economic crisis, exacerbated in part by the pandemic, which saw unemployment rise to 18% in the last year.