On December 17th 2010, a Tunisian named Mohamed Bouazizi was losing hope. He worked as street vendor of fruits and vegetables, financially supporting his mother, uncle, and sisters, including one attending a university. His father died when he was very young, and Bouazizi dropped out of school in his teens to be his family’s breadwinner.
Growing up, from time to time Bouazizi had problems with the police: they would come, harass him (probably for bribes), and confiscate his cart and produce. Bouazizi had no way to fight back. The police were part of a corrupt government led by Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, a man who had come to power in a coup in 1987 and remained Tunisaia’s leader through tightly controlled “elections.”
This was all done with U.S. support.
George Bush praised Tunisia as an important ally in the war on terror. Colin Powell called Tunisia “a good friend, a strong friend” in 2004.
On December 17th, an official with some police harassed Bouazizi, spat in his face, beat him and took his cart and wares again, the very day he had bought on credit the equivalent of $200 U.S of fruit and vegetables to sell (this was about a week and a half’s pay for him). He went to his local government to complain, but his governor would not see him.
That same day, Bouazizi went out in front of one of his local government’s buildings, doused himself in gasoline or paint thinner, and set himself on fire.
His martyrdom captured the attention of the county and five thousand people attended his funeral march. Another peaceful march in remembrance of Bouazizi the next day was dispersed by police with tear gas. A feeling of resistance coalesced among the Tunisan people and they took to the streets in huge numbers, protesting government corruption, massive unemployment, suppression of freedom of speech, and inflation of food prices for the next few weeks, facing police brutality and a curfew in some areas.
On January 6th, 95% of Tunisia’s lawyers joined the strike, and on January 10th the government closed all schools and universities. On January 16th Ben Ali dissolved his government, declared a state of emergency, and fled the country.
Ali has now taken refuge in Saudi Arabia, another repressive authoritarian government supported by the U.S. Other former members of Ben Ali’s political party have tried to set up a new government, but there continues to be protests. Many Tunisians are calling for a government with no former coworkers of Ben Ali, and open elections in six months with international observers to ensure legitimacy.
Bouazizi’s sacrifice and the Tunisian revolution have inspired citizens of other members of the African and Arab worlds, including suicides of protest through self-immolation in Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Egypt.
On January 25th in Cairo and across Egypt there were massive protests against the conditions of life posed by the authoritarian government. Egypt’s government is more democratically-minded than Algeria, but is another de facto dictatorship supported by the U.S. in fact, it is the country that receives the second most U.S. aid – $1.3 billion dollars every year since 1979. Egyptian police broke up the protests with water cannons, clubs and tear gas.