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Growing discontent towards the government
For the past few years the Tunisian people have become increasingly unhappy with the governemnt. They complain about the living standards, large number of police brutality, unemployment rates, and lack of human rights though none of their concerns are being heard. -
Young prostester sets himself on fire
On this day, in what can be considered the act that sparked the Tunisian uprising, a young man named Mohammad Bouazizi douses himself in paint thinner and sets himself on fire in front of a local municipal building in response to his produce cart being confiscated from him when he didn't have the proper paperwork. -
Tunisian labor union protest
Hundreds of protesters gather in front of the Tunisian labor union to challenge the widespread unemployment. They are met by Tunisian police forces who attempt to control the crowds by firing shots- hitting 18 year old Mohamed Ammari and 44 year old Chawki Belhoussine El Hadri. -
Ben Ali adresses the protests
The country's president at the time, Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali, puts out a warning to all protestors, stating that the protests are uneffective and unacceptable, claiming they have a negative impact on the country. He does this through national broadcast TV. -
Operation Tunisia
An internet acitivist group by the name of "Anonymous" initiates Operation Tunisia. They launch a number of "direct denial of service" attacks at government websites causing them to shut down temporarily. -
Students protest
Nearly 250 student protesters gather in the city of Thala to stage a peaceful march the quickly turns violent when government forces begin firing tear gas cansiters at the crowd. -
Ben Ali takes action
Ben Ali fires all government officials and declares a state of emergency, promising new elections for fresh representatives in an attempt to soothe the protesters. He flees the country that same night. -
A new coaliton government
Ghannouchi, the Tunisian prime minister, promises a new coalition government in an attempt to ward off protests. The new government positions are announced the same day, however the lineup includes several Ben Ali loyalists in key spots. -
Protests resume
Unhappy Tunisians once again take to the streets in protest. The same day, severaly of the new government members say they do not want to work with members of the RCD, Ben Ali's former ruling party. This causes both the prime minister and the interim head of state, Fouad Mebazza, to resign from the RCD. -
The Liberation Caravan
Hundreds of Tunisian protesters defy nighttime curfew in order to travel in something dubbed a "Liberation Caravan" to join protesters in the capital when remaing RCD members show no signs of resigning. Still no progress is made. -
Progress is finally made
After years of debate, the Tunisian people finally came to an agreement and put into place it's first constitution. The document, which lays down the foundations for a democracy, is considered to be one of the most progressive of it's kind in the Arab world.
