Students climbing University\'s wall in Tunisia The removal of the official Tunisian flag by a young Salafist in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of Manouba provoked the public opinion\'s reaction, which condemned the action as an “offence to the national identity”.
The Tunisian presidency has declared that it considered the act as an “assault against one of the most important national symbols in the University”.
In an official statement, President Moncef Marzouki called on “the security and judicial authorities to treat this incident and any similar ones with the utmost rigor, so that nobody dares to insult the flag”.
The president also stressed that the attack against the national flag is equivalent to attacking one of the national consciousness symbols, which many Tunisians have martyred for.
Moncef’s calls have also been broadcasted online to underline the necessity of prosecuting anyone who is found involved in such crimes.
Many Tunisians displayed the national flag on their personal websites to protest against the Salafist’s act and to mark the difference between him and other Tunisians.
One of them was quoted as saying: “This incident will show how serious the government is in dealing with the Salafist danger that threatens the country”.
Kolena Tunis movement (“We all are Tunisia”) condemned the action saying it is a treason to the country and called for holding a demonstration in front of the National Constituent Assembly to pressure it to assume its responsibilities for what is happening in the country in that respect. The movement said in a statement obtained by Arabstoday: “We strongly condemn this action, which we consider a treason to Tunisia and to everyone who struggled for the liberty of the homeland”.
After removing the national flag, the young man replaced it with a Caliphate banner.