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Tunis declares curfew after 'Islamist' rioting
Tunisia has declared an overnight curfew on eight regions, including the capital, an interior ministry official says, in the wake of serious rioting.The eight-hour curfew was introduced after several violent attacks in protest at an art exhibition. The government has blamed ultra-conservative Islamists known as Salafists for the violence, in which police stations were set on fire. But the Salafists have denied being involved in the rampage. The curfew will be in place in the suburbs of Ben Arouss, Ariana and Manouba as well as the cities of Sousse, Monastir, Jendouba and Ben Guerdane. Monday's overnight series of attacks targeted police stations, a court and an art gallery. In one northern suburb, La Marsa, rioters tried to force their way into an art gallery where several paintings deemed "blasphemous" had been slashed a day earlier by Islamists. The exhibition included paintings that caricatured Mecca, portrayed a nude woman, and showed the word "Allah" spelled out with strings of ants. Posted by: tipper 2012-06-12 |
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