On a sweltering Saturday on July 13, one hour after sunset and the fourth day of Ramadan, Tunis’ Habib Bourguiba street was particularly busy.

Hundreds of protesters gathered, carrying the pictures of ousted president Morsi and cheering slogans in his support, in a scene meant to reproduce the protests of the Rabea al-Adaweya Square but on a smaller scale.

On a sweltering Saturday on July 13, one hour after sunset and the fourth day of Ramadan, Tunis’ Habib Bourguiba street was particularly busy.

Hundreds of protesters gathered, carrying the pictures of ousted president Morsi and cheering slogans in his support, in a scene meant to reproduce the protests of the Rabea al-Adaweya Square but on a smaller scale.

At first glance, the protestors appear to have spontaneously gathered to support a president who is still considered by some people as legitimate. But then the flags of the Islamic Ennahda Movement being carried by protestors become visible and the leaders of the ruling party in Tunisia are heavily present in these protests.

The rally was organized by the Ennahda Movement, under the pretext of supporting the betrayed legitimacy in Egypt, as the movement describes the events going on in Egypt. 

On its social networking sites, the Ennahda Movement claimed that millions would participate in the rally in support of the legitimacy in Egypt, but for some reason, only hundreds of people actually hit the streets. There was a clear absence of the Movement’s partners in power, the Congress for the Republic Party, who rarely miss an opportunity to participate in the movement’s marches and to respond to its protest calls.

“We are here to tell those who trampled on the will of the people that these people will trample on you if you think about trampling on the legitimacy in Tunisia,” came a voice through a loudspeaker.  

“Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!” (God is Great), the protestors cheered in response.

“Those who transgress the will of the people will be transgressed. Any person who transgresses the will of the Egyptian people or the will of the Tunisian people will be transgressed in the streets of Tunisia.”

The voice belonged to al-Sahbi Atiq, the head of the Ennahda block at the National Constituent Assembly. The people who he threatened were the Tunisian people who he represents in the parliament. Those who were repeating Allahu Akbar were a mixture of the movement’s supporters and the Revolutionary Protection Leagues.

While such rhetoric didn’t surprise a big part of civil and political society, angry responses came a few hours after the fiery statement of al-Sahbi Atiq.

“Irrelevant interpretations, strange explanations and wicked comments characterized the reactions of the Ennahda opponents and their comments on the statements of brother al-Sahbi Atiq at the protest organized by the movement against the coup in Egypt,” was published the official page of the movement on its social network sites. 

Ennahda justified the words uttered by al-Subhi, saying that he was speaking metaphorically and symbolically about a possible response to a violent act some may theorize and which could target the legitimacy and will of the people.

Amer al-Areed, the head of the political bureau of the Ennahda Movement and the brother of Ali al-Areed, the prime minister, said the controversial sentence was taken out of context.

“The speech was meant to warn people against violence because any reaction to violence will be violent. It is only natural for the people to defend their will against any transgression.”

“I wonder why the media overlooks many other statements which call for fighting while it makes a big issue out of the words said by al-Sahbi which call for respecting legitimacy.”   

Impassioned medieval speech

In contrast, the political arena received Atiq’s statements with great indignation. Even the allies of the Ennahda Movement and its partners in government were unhappy with these statements and responded to them bluntly. 

In this context, the spokesman of the ruling Labour and Liberties bloc, a member of the ruling troika, Mohammed Bannour, said: “Atiq’s statements and his enthusiastic speech are rejected because they are similar to medieval speeches and lack any logic.”

Bannour described the speech of al-Sahbi as fundamental and hysterical. “Atiq became obsessed and forgot that he is a representative of the Tunisian people.”

Abdul-Raouf al-Ayadi, the President of the al-Wafaa Movement, which is close to the Ennahda movement, in statements he made to one of the radio stations, said that Atiq’s statements are out of context. He also called those who are demanding the dissolution of the NCA to show self-restraint and to stop such calls.

However, the condemnation and denunciation voiced by the opposition parties were far more coherent.

Try to fast by not speaking

Mohsen al-Marzouk, a leading member of Nidaa Tunis Movement, wrote on his own Facebook page, “I invite Mr. Atiq not to preach again and talk to his fellow supporters when he is fasting and when the weather conditions are inappropriate. His speech was disappointing because all these elements had a combined affect on the mind and produced recklessness.”

Marzouk believes that Atiq’s call to shed the blood of those who turn against legitimacy can only be interpreted as threats against Ennahda opponents.

“Ennahda and its allies have turned against the legitimacy of their popular mandate in the duration of the Constituent Assembly and its tasks.” He sarcastically asked Atiq: “Why don’t you try to fast by not speaking in Ramadan? It would be better for you and your party.”

The Secretaries-General of the Popular Front condemned the “inflammatory statements of al-Sahbi Atiq,” and called for judicial procedures against him.  They stressed that they are determined to organize a national salvation conference to save Tunisia from what they described as “the clutches of apostasy forces and counter-revolution.”

Abdel Nasser Owaini, a leader of the Popular Front, said  the Ennahda Movement was the official patron of violence in Tunisia and that it was ready to attack all  those who opposed its views especially popular opponents filling in the gap created by citizens disappointed with Ennahda.

Owaini added that the Islamists’ defense of legitimacy has no grounds if toppled by violence. “We will move forward with the implementation of our programs, and with our National Salvation Conference, which has a priority.  For us, these statements are meant to confuse this track and disrupt the process of saving Tunisia from violence and terrorism, which have reached a climax with the assassination of the Shoukri Beleid and the continued al-Shaanbi violent events,” Owaini added.  

This is why they did not sign

In its statement, the Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights condemned the slogans of Atiq. “They only incite discord and chaos and lead people to killing each other. Ennahda needs to apologize for these slogans given that they were made by a leading member of the movement and the head of its bloc in the NCA. These threats constitute red-handed crimes and require immediate action from the public prosecutor.”

Abdul Sattar Ben Moussa, head of the governing body of the League, said the league condemned all statements calling for violence, regardless of the party that made such statements.

“We are waiting for the public prosecutors to play their role. The Ennahda Movement did not sign the Charter on Combating Violence, which culminated in the work of the national conference sponsored by the league mid-June considering this an indication of such statements.”

“Now we can understand why some parties did not sign the charter and Ennahda is one of them.”