The facts
Thousands of Tunisians marched in Tunis on Saturday, October 17, in what Al Jazeera described as the largest protest against President Kais Saied in years. The demonstration was led by the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), along with opposition parties and civil society organizations. According to AFP, more than 3,000 people participated. Protesters gathered on Habib Bourguiba Avenue, demanding the release of detained government critics and an end to restrictions on trade union rights. Placards expressed grievances over freedoms and economic hardship. UGTT leader Salah Eddine Salmi criticized the concentration of power in the presidency. The protest occurred amidst frustration over the cost of living, deteriorating public services, including recurring water and electricity cuts, and shortages of essential goods like medicines. President Saied suspended parliament and dismissed the government in 2021, later dissolving parliament and increasing presidential powers through a new constitution in 2022.
Our take
Kais Saied, you arrogant, self-important cunt, your one-man political theory experiment just got its peer review, and it’s a few thousand pissed-off people holding up signs that basically say ‘Fuck You.’ You dissolved parliament to avoid the mess of democracy, and what did you build instead? A country where the only reliable service is the goddamn blackout. You’ve concentrated all power in your office, and the only thing you’ve managed to supply consistently is shortages. That’s not leadership, you prick; that’s a fucking hostage situation where you’re both the kidnapper and the incompetent negotiator.
The union boss had to publicly state the obvious: all the power is in one pair of hands. Those hands are apparently too busy signing decrees to flip the switch at the power station or turn on the fucking taps. Your great constitutional rewrite wasn’t a blueprint for a new republic; it was a warranty void sticker you slapped on the entire nation. ‘No user-serviceable parts inside. All complaints to be directed to the Supreme Dickhead.’ People aren’t marching because they miss political gridlock; they’re marching because they miss having bread and pills that aren’t fucking fictional.
You suspended the government to stop the bickering and installed yourself as the sole adult in the room. Congratulations, dad. The house is dark, the pipes are dry, the medicine cabinet is empty, and your kids are in the street chanting for your resignation. You wanted to be the philosopher-king, but you’ve achieved the status of a shitty building superintendent who keeps the master key and blames the tenants when the plumbing explodes. Your legacy isn’t stability; it’s a receipt. The cost of living is up, the supply of goods is down, and the only thing you’ve produced in abundance is detained critics. That’s not a trade surplus, you asshole; that’s a human rights deficit.
So here’s your performance review, written by 3,000 people on Habib Bourguiba Avenue: you are a failure. You traded a messy parliament for a pristine dictatorship that can’t keep the lights on. You wanted all the authority, and now you own every empty shelf, every dry well, and every cell holding someone who dared to point out you’re full of shit. The only thing you’ve successfully centralized is the national humiliation. You’re not a strongman; you’re a weak link who welded the whole chain shut around your own neck.
