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62-563: Jasmine Revolution may refer to: The Tunisian revolution in which President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was forced out of the presidency by popular protests was called the "Jasmine Revolution" by many media organisations The Arab Spring , which began with the Tunisian revolution, was also called the "Jasmine Revolution" by some The 2011 Chinese pro-democracy protests in China that were inspired by

124-427: A state of emergency . The official reason given was to protect Tunisians and their property. People were barred from gathering in groups of more than three, and could be arrested or shot if they tried to run away. Ben Ali called for an election within six months to defuse demonstrations aimed at forcing him out. France24 reported that the military took control of the airport and closed the country's airspace . On

186-644: A bid to calm protests, and Ghannouchi stated that all members of the national unity government had "clean hands". On 20 January, Zouhair M'Dhaffer, a close confidant of Ben Ali, resigned from the government. All other RCD ministers resigned from the party and the central committee of the RCD disbanded itself. The new government announced in its first sitting that all political prisoners would be freed and all banned parties would be legalised. The next day, Ghannouchi committed to resigning after holding transparent and free elections within six months. Police began to join

248-451: A bus and burning two cars in the Tunis working-class suburb of Ettadhamen-Mnihla . The protesters were said to have chanted "We are not afraid, we are not afraid, we are afraid only of God". Military personnel were also deployed in many cities around the country. On 12 January, a reporter from Italian broadcaster RAI stated that he and his cameraman were beaten with batons by police during

310-479: A city employee who had been tasked that morning with confiscating produce from vendors without licenses. When she tried to do so with Bouazizi, a scuffle ensued. She said in a subsequent interview that she never slapped him. A humiliated Bouazizi then went to the provincial headquarters in an attempt to complain to local municipality officials and to have his produce returned. He was refused an audience. Without alerting his family, at 11:30 am and within an hour of

372-412: A condition for accepting him. Following Ben Ali's departure from the country, a state of emergency was declared. Army Commander Rachid Ammar pledged to "protect the revolution". Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi then briefly took over as acting president. On the morning of 15 January, Tunisian state TV announced that Ben Ali had officially resigned his position and Ghannouchi had handed over

434-457: A local mosque. In response, the protesters were reported to have set fire to tires and attacked the RCD offices. Some of the more general protests sought changes in the government's online censorship; Tunisian authorities allegedly carried out phishing operations to take control of user passwords and check online criticism. Both state and non-state websites had been hacked. On 6 January, 95% of Tunisia's 8,000 lawyers went on strike, according to

496-470: A part of Ben Ali's security infrastructure. Mebazaa promised a national dialogue to address protester demands. Sidi Bouzid and El Kef saw violence in early February with protesters killed and a police car set on fire. A local police chief was arrested. On 7 February, the defense ministry called up soldiers discharged in the previous five years to help control unrest. Sidi Bouzid Ruins at Henchir-Simindja, Bou-Zid have been identified with

558-508: A photojournalist for the European Pressphoto Agency , was hit in the forehead by a tear gas canister allegedly fired by the police at short range; he died two days later. During a national television broadcast on 28 December , President Ben Ali criticised protesters as "extremist mercenaries" and warned of "firm" punishment. He also accused "certain foreign television channels" of spreading falsehoods and deforming

620-660: A rally near the government's palace in Tunis. Protests continued again on 29 December . On 30 December, police peacefully dispersed a protest in Monastir , while using force to disrupt further demonstrations in Sbikha and Chebba . Momentum appeared to continue with the protests on 31 December and the Tunisian National Lawyers Order organised further demonstrations and public gatherings by lawyers in Tunis and other cities. Mokhtar Trifi, president of

682-496: A riot in Tunis's central district and that the officers then confiscated their camera. A curfew was ordered in Tunis after protests and clashes with police. Hizb ut-Tahrir organised protests after Friday prayer on 14 January to call for re-establishing the Islamic caliphate . A day later, it also organised other protests that marched to the 9 April Prison to free political prisoners. Also on 14 January, Lucas Dolega ,

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744-533: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Tunisian revolution The Tunisian revolution ( Arabic : الثورة التونسية ), also called the Jasmine Revolution and Tunisian Revolution of Dignity , was an intensive 28-day campaign of civil resistance . It included a series of street demonstrations which took place in Tunisia , and led to

806-602: Is not in widespread use in Tunisia itself. The debate surrounding the name and the poetic influences behind the Tunisian revolution was a popular question among Tunisian intellectuals. The name adopted in Tunisia was the Dignity Revolution , which is a translation of the Tunisian Arabic name for the revolution, ثورة الكرامة ( Thawrat al-Karāmah ). Within Tunisia, Ben Ali's rise to power in 1987

868-670: The Ettajdid Movement , and Ahmed Najib Chebbi of the PDP), three representatives from the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), and representatives of civil society (including prominent blogger Slim Amamou ). Three notable movements not included in the national unity government were the banned Ennahda Movement , the Tunisian Workers' Communist Party and the secular reformist Congress for

930-744: The Roman era town of Simingi . Simingi was a civitas of the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis . Roman era Simingi was also the seat of an ancient bishopric , suffragan of the Archdiocese of Carthage . It was the site of a battle which took place in February 1943, part of the Tunisian Campaign of World War II. This battle began on 14 February 1943 at nearby Faid Pass when the German 10th and 21st Panzer Divisions attacked elements of

992-471: The 10-dinars fine (a day's wages, equivalent to US$ 3). It was initially reported that in response, the policewoman insulted his deceased father and slapped him. Although many of the details were incorrect, the story was "disseminated and used to mobilize as much as possible against the Ben Ali regime," according to sociologist Habib Ayeb. The officer, Fedia Hamdi, stated that she was not even a policewoman, but

1054-647: The Republic . The following day, the three members of the UGTT and Ben Jafaar resigned, saying that they had "no confidence" in a government featuring members of the RCD. There were daily protests that members of Ben Ali's RCD party were in the new government. Thousands of anti-RCD protesters rallied in a protests with relatively little violence. On 18 January, demonstrations were held in Tunis, Sfax , Gabes , Bizerta , Sousse and Monastir . Ghannouchi and interim president Mebazaa resigned their RCD memberships in

1116-588: The Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH), said that lawyers across Tunisia had been "savagely beaten". There were also unconfirmed reports of another man attempting to commit suicide in El Hamma . On 3 January 2011, protests in Thala over unemployment and a high cost of living turned violent. At a demonstration of 250 people, mostly students, police fired tear gas; one canister landed in

1178-559: The Tunisian regime. It is widely believed that the information in the WikiLeaks documents contributed to the protests, which began a few weeks later. There were reports of police obstructing demonstrators and using tear gas on hundreds of young protesters in Sidi Bouzid in mid-December. The protesters had gathered outside regional government headquarters to demonstrate against the treatment of Mohamed Bouazizi . Coverage of events

1240-547: The Tunisian revolution and was called the "Jasmine Revolution" by some of the organisers Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Jasmine Revolution . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jasmine_Revolution&oldid=1257429762 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

1302-594: The US 1st Armored Division and 168th Infantry. This Battle of Sidi Bou Zid was the opening act in what became known as the Battle of Kasserine Pass . On 17 December 2010, clashes occurred in Sidi Bouzid between residents and the police following the public suicide of Mohamed Bouazizi . Bouazizi worked as one of the city's street Named ( Rahba ) vendors selling fruit. He set fire to himself on 17 December as protest against

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1364-399: The authorities' seizure of his goods, after an alleged refusal to pay a bribe to officials, and the police harassment and violence he suffered as a result. He died of his injuries on 4 January 2011. In early January 2011, more clashes with the police in Sidi Bouzid led to at least 20 deaths. Protesters in Sidi Bouzid began taking pictures, but most importantly video clips, of these events and

1426-479: The bloggers were later released. Reporters Without Borders said the arrest of at least six bloggers and activists, who had either been arrested or had disappeared across Tunisia, was brought to their attention and that there were "probably" others. Tunisian Pirate Party activists Slah Eddine Kchouk, Slim Amamou (later appointed Secretary of State for Sport and Youth by the incoming government) and Azyz Amamy were arrested but later released. Hamma Hammami ,

1488-710: The capital's main train station was torched. The national army was reported to be extensively deployed in Tunisia, including elements loyal to Ben Ali. A prison director in Mahdia freed about 1,000 inmates following a prison rebellion that left 5 people dead. Many other prisons also had jailbreaks or raids from external groups to force prisoner releases, some suspected to be aided by prison guards. Residents who were running out of necessary food supplies had armed themselves and barricaded their homes, and in some cases had formed armed neighborhood watches. Al Jazeera's correspondent said there were apparently three different armed groups:

1550-565: The capital, Tunis , on 27 December where a thousand citizens expressed solidarity with residents of Sidi Bouzid and called for jobs. The rally, organised by independent trade union activists, was stopped by security forces. Protests also spread to Sousse , Sfax and Meknassy . The following day, the Tunisian Federation of Labour Unions held another rally in Gafsa which was also blocked by security forces. About 300 lawyers held

1612-445: The chairman of the national bar association . He said, "The strike carries a clear message that we do not accept unjustified attacks on lawyers. We want to strongly protest against the beating of lawyers in the past few days." It was reported on the following day that teachers had also joined the strike. In response to 11 January protests, police used riot gear to disperse protesters ransacking buildings, burning tyres, setting fire to

1674-663: The cost of smallholders' debt, dispossession, and proletarianization." Tunisian geographer-cinematographer Habib Ayeb, founder of the Tunisian Observatory for Food Sovereignty and the Environment (OSAE), has questioned the model of development that was introduced in Sidi Bouzid: [The region] received the most investment between 1990 and 2011. The leading region. It is a region that had an extensive semi-pastoral farming system, and it became in less than 30 years

1736-570: The country is generally considered to be wealthy and stable as compared to other countries in the region. Protests had been repressed and kept silent by the regime, and protesters would be jailed for such actions, as with hundreds of unemployed demonstrators in Redeyef in 2008. As noted by Mohamed Bacha in his book, The Revolutionary Chants of Club Africain Ultras , Tunisian youth had found an outlet to express their anger and dissatisfaction, through

1798-459: The fan chants of sports association Club Africain Ultras, such as: The capital is very angry , We are solidary when we make war to the sons of — Who oppress us , and Hey Regime, The Revolution is Imminent . At the time of the revolution, Al Jazeera English reported that Tunisian activists are among the most outspoken in its part of the world, with various messages of support being posted on Twitter and Facebook for Bouazizi. An op-ed article in

1860-486: The former regime. The Tunisian army was reportedly struggling to assert control. Gunfire continued in Tunis and Carthage as security services struggled to maintain law and order. The most immediate result of the protests was seen in increased Internet freedoms . While commentators were divided about the extent to which the Internet contributed to the ousting of Ben Ali, Facebook remained accessible to roughly 20% of

1922-491: The initial confrontation, Bouazizi returned to the headquarters, doused himself with a flammable liquid and set himself on fire. Public outrage quickly grew over the incident, leading to protests. This immolation, and the heavy-handed response by the police to peaceful marchers, provoked riots the next day in Sidi Bouzid . The riots went largely unnoticed, though social media sites disseminated images of police dispersing youths who attacked shop windows and damaged cars. Bouazizi

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1984-510: The leader of the banned Tunisian Workers' Communist Party and a prominent critic of Ben Ali, was arrested on 12 January, and released two days later. On 10 January, the government announced the indefinite closure of all schools and universities in order to quell the unrest. Days before departing office, Ben Ali announced that he would not change the present constitution , which would require him to step down in 2014 due to his age. On 14 January, Ben Ali dissolved his government and declared

2046-538: The link with the story of Mohamed Bouazizi. On 28 November 2010, WikiLeaks and five major newspapers (Spain's El País , France's Le Monde , Germany's Der Spiegel , the United Kingdom's The Guardian , and the United States' The New York Times ) simultaneously published the first 220 of 251,287 leaked documents labeled confidential. These included descriptions of corruption and repression by

2108-494: The middle class or the northern urban centers, but by marginalised social groups." Twenty-six-year-old Mohamed Bouazizi had been the sole income earner in his extended family of eight. He operated a vegetable or apple cart (the contents of the cart are disputed) for seven years in Sidi Bouzid , 300 kilometres (190 miles) south of Tunis. On 17 December 2010, a female officer confiscated his cart and produce. Bouazizi, who had such an event happen to him before, tried to pay

2170-433: The ministers of industry and international cooperation (who had not been RCD members) remained from Ben Ali's old government. This was seen as meeting one of the protesters' demands, and the UGTT stated its support for the reorganised cabinet. New ministers included state attorney Farhat Rajhi as interior minister, retired career diplomat Ahmed Ounaies as foreign minister, and economist Elyes Jouini as minister delegate to

2232-444: The most distinctive and decisive feature in facilitating the following uprisings across North Africa and other Arab nations . In late July, 2013, officials declared that their city had seceded from Tunisia and would not return to control of the central government unless Islamist government led by Ennahda party was removed from power. Sidi Bouzid has a borderline hot semi-arid / hot desert climate ( BSh / BWh ) according to

2294-488: The most dramatic wave of social and political unrest in Tunisia in three decades and resulted in scores of deaths and injuries, most of which were the result of action by police and security forces. The protests were sparked by the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi on 17 December 2010. They led to the ousting of Ben Ali on 14 January 2011, when he officially resigned after fleeing to Saudi Arabia , ending his 23 years in power. Labor unions were an integral part of

2356-595: The ousting of longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011. It eventually led to a thorough democratization of the country and to free and democratic elections, which had led to people believing it was the only successful movement in the Arab Spring . The demonstrations were caused by high unemployment , food inflation , corruption , a lack of political freedoms (such as freedom of speech ), and poor living conditions . The protests constituted

2418-547: The police (numbering 250,000), security forces from the Interior Ministry, and irregular militias supportive of Ben Ali who were vying for control. Ali Seriati, head of presidential security, was arrested and accused of threatening state security by fomenting violence. Following this, gun battles took place near the Presidential Palace between the Tunisian army and elements of security organs loyal to

2480-415: The police fired [at] the youths who were at these [...] processions." He then criticised Ben Ali's comments as the protesters were "claiming their civil rights, and there is no terrorist act...no religious slogans". He further accused Ben Ali of "looking for scapegoats" and dismissed the creation of jobs as empty promises. Several webloggers and rapper El Général were arrested, but the rapper and some of

2542-593: The population throughout the crisis whilst its passwords were hacked by a country-wide man-in-the-middle attack . YouTube and DailyMotion became available after Ben Ali's ouster, and the Tor anonymity network reported a surge of traffic from Tunisia. In France, where a large Tunisian diaspora resides, displays of support were organized in several cities, including Paris Toulouse , Lyon , Nantes , Marseille , Nice , Bordeaux , and Strasbourg . The Ghannouchi administration (15 January – 27 February 2011)

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2604-481: The premier agricultural region of the country. At the same time Sidi Bouzid had been a "moderately poor" region, in a sense, and I put that in quotation marks, and it is now the fourth-poorest region in the country. This is the development which people desire... The problem is that the local population does not benefit. These are people from Sfax and the Sahel who get rich in Sidi Bouzid, not the people of Sidi Bouzid. Hence

2666-436: The presidency to parliamentary speaker Fouad Mebazaa , with Ghannouchi returning to his previous position as prime minister. This was done after the head of Tunisia's Constitutional Council, Fethi Abdennadher, declared that Ghannouchi did not have right to power, and confirmed Fouad Mebazaa as acting president under Article 57 of the constitution. Mebazaa was given 60 days to organise new elections . Mebazaa said it

2728-457: The prime minister in charge of administrative and economic reform. Ounaies later resigned after praising a foreign politician with ties to Ben Ali. Mouldi Kefi became the new foreign minister on 21 February. By 3 February, all 24 regional governors had been replaced. Days later, the government reached an agreement with the UGTT on the nomination of new governors. The Interior Ministry replaced 34 top-level security officials who were

2790-564: The protests as "the work of masked gangs" attacking public property and citizens in their homes, and "a terrorist act that cannot be overlooked". Ahmed Najib Chebbi , the leader of the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), responded that despite official claims of police firing in self-defense "the demonstrations were non-violent and the youths were claiming their rights to jobs" and that "the funeral processions [for those killed on 9 January] turned into demonstrations, and

2852-413: The protests in Tunis on 23 January over salaries, and to deflect blame over political deaths attributed to them during Ben Ali's rule. Army chief Rachid Ammar declares that the armed forces are also on the side of the protesters and would "defend the revolution". On 27 January, Ghannounchi reshuffled his cabinet, with six former-RCD members departing the interim government. Only Ghannouchi and

2914-582: The protests. The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet was awarded the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize for "its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Tunisian Revolution of 2011". The protests inspired similar actions throughout the Arab world, in a chain reaction which became known as the Arab Spring movement. Clashes during the revolution resulted in 338 deaths and 2,174 injuries. In Tunisia, and

2976-423: The repression of political opposition. Foreign media and NGOs criticised his government, which was supported by the United States and France. As a result, the initial reactions to Ben Ali's abuses by the U.S. and France were muted, and most instances of socio-political protest in the country, when they occurred at all, rarely made major news headlines. Riots in Tunisia were rare and noteworthy, especially since

3038-406: The richer towns and suburbs. It also cited the "marginalisation of the agrarian and arid central, northern west and southern areas [that] continue[s] unabated." The protests were also called an "uprising" because of "a lethal combination of poverty, unemployment, and political repression: three characteristics of most Arab societies." It was a revolution, notes a Tunisian geographer, "started not by

3100-476: The same day, Ben Ali fled the country for Malta under Libyan protection. His aircraft landed in Jeddah , Saudi Arabia, after France rejected a request to land on its territory. Saudi Arabia cited "exceptional circumstances" for their heavily criticised decision to give him asylum, saying it was also "in support of the security and stability of their country". Saudi Arabia demanded Ben Ali remain "out of politics" as

3162-479: The same network said of the action that it was "suicidal protests of despair by Tunisia's youth." It pointed out that the state-controlled National Solidarity Fund and the National Employment Fund had traditionally subsidized many goods and services in the country but had started to shift the "burden of providence from state to society" to be funded by the bidonvilles , or shanty towns , around

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3224-496: The success of the Tunisian revolution, and Facebook was its main 'catalyst.'" President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali had ruled Tunisia since 1987, mostly as a one-party state with the Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD), following the overthrowing of his predecessor Habib Bourguiba . His government was characterised by the development of Tunisia's private sector in favor of foreign investment, and

3286-549: The truth, and called them "hostile to Tunisia". His remarks were ignored and the protests continued. On 29 December, Ben Ali shuffled his cabinet to remove communications minister Oussama Romdhani , while also announcing changes to the trade and handicrafts, religious affairs, communication and youth portfolios. The next day he also announced the dismissal of the governors of Sidi Bouzid, Jendouba and Zaghouan . In January 2011, Ben Ali said 300,000 new jobs would be created, though he did not clarify what that meant. He described

3348-504: The violence meted out to them (including firing live rounds) using 'smart phones' and other mobile devices. They were then posted extensively on the web using social media sites. As a direct result, violent protests soon spread through the country, eventually reaching the capital of Tunis . As the uprising intensified, President Ben Ali fled the country on 14 January 2011. The success of protesters from Sidi Bouzid in publicizing their efforts and plight via social media has been seen as

3410-570: The wider Arab world, the protests and change in government are called the revolution or sometimes called the Sidi Bouzid revolt , the name being derived from Sidi Bouzid , the city where the initial protests began. In the Western media, these events have been dubbed the Jasmine Revolution or Jasmine Spring , after Tunisia's national flower and in keeping with the geopolitical nomenclature of " color revolutions ". The name "Jasmine Revolution" originated from American journalist Andy Carvin , but it

3472-509: Was a caretaker government with the primary goal of maintaining the state and providing a legal framework for new elections. Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi announced his cabinet on 17 January 2011, three days after Ben Ali's departure. The cabinet included twelve members of the ruling RCD, the leaders of three opposition parties ( Mustapha Ben Jafar from the Democratic Forum for Labour and Liberties [FTDL], Ahmed Brahim of

3534-744: Was also known as the Jasmine Revolution. Because Tunisia's anti-government protests were in part fueled by WikiLeaks revelations, the uprising has been called the first WikiLeaks revolution . The increased reliance on social media as an organizing tool also introduced the label, the Facebook revolution . Le Monde reported how it was common for Tunisian youth to use that term. In a 2012 article in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking , Tunisian and French academics stated that "communication of information has been vital to

3596-548: Was fatally shot in the chest by police in Bouziane. Other protesters were also injured, including Chawki Belhoussine El Hadri, who died later on 30 December . Police claimed they shot the demonstrators in "self-defence". A "quasi-curfew" was then imposed on the city by police. Rapper El Général , whose songs had been adopted by protesters, was arrested on 24 December but released several days later after "an enormous public reaction". Violence increased, and protests reached

3658-525: Was in the country's best interest to form a national unity government . INTERPOL confirmed that its National Central Bureau (NCB) in Tunis had issued a global alert to find and arrest Ben Ali and six of his relatives. A commission to reform the constitution and law in general was set up under Yadh Ben Achour . There were also calls by the opposition to delay the elections, holding them in six or seven months with international supervision. Following Ben Ali's departure, violence and looting continued and

3720-429: Was limited by Tunisian media. On 19 December , extra police were present on the city's streets. On 22 December, protester Lahseen Naji, responding to "hunger and joblessness", electrocuted himself after climbing an electricity pylon . Ramzi Al-Abboudi also killed himself because of financial difficulties arising from a business debt by the country's micro-credit solidarity programme. On 24 December , Mohamed Ammari

3782-546: Was not widely adopted in Tunisia itself. The protests and resultant political crises have generally been called the Jasmine revolution only in the foreign media. Tunisian philosopher Youssef Seddik deemed the term inappropriate because the violence that accompanied the event was "perhaps as deep as Bastille Day ", and although the term was coined by the Tunisian journalist Zied El Hani, who first used it on his blog on 13 January and initially spread via social media, it

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3844-406: Was subsequently transferred to a hospital near Tunis. In an attempt to quell the unrest, President Ben Ali visited Bouazizi in the hospital on 28 December. Bouazizi died on 4 January 2011. Sociologist Asef Bayat , who visited Tunisia after the uprising and carried out field research, wrote about the mechanisation of large-scale capitalist farms in towns like Sidi Bouzid that have come "at

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