One year ago this Saturday, a young Tunisian man named Muhammad Bouazizi set himself on fire after police in the southern interior city of Sidi Bouzid confiscated the goods he was trying to sell at a fruits and vegetable stand.
Authorities said he did not have the proper permits to do so. He said he had no choice but to try selling the goods after he lost his job. But Bouazizi failed to convince the policewoman who confronted him. To protest what he considered to be an injustice, he set himself ablaze.
Demonstrations in his hometown ensued, followed by a similar nationwide out-pour of support. Then, the writing was on the wall, literally. Graffiti scrawled across one municipal government office wall read, “leave you thief,” a clear message to then-President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali that he had to go. And go he did.
Inspired by Tunisia, protests across much of the region followed. In the West, they were dubbed the “Arab Spring,” a contrast to the Tunisian winter when Bouazizi gave his life.
In honor of this anniversary, I was asked by the Jerusalem Post to share my thoughts on my recent visit to Tunisia. I had traveled there earlier this year to cover the elections and found the moment to be a slice of history-in-the-making.
I invite you to read my thoughts: “Tunisia, the fire within.”
