Unrest

It was a strange day on Wednesday. When we walked into town, there seemed to be a few more police around than usual, and the main supermarket was closed for no apparent reason. We bought a couple of things in the other store, then found ourselves hustled out through the back door, along with all the other shoppers. On the way back to the marina, we could see a crowd gathering in the main square. Even the weather seemed ominous, the pleasant evening suddenly swept away by a vicious cold, gritty wind. Something was clearly going on, and it didn't look good.

Back at the dock, one of the French cruisers told us that a leader of one of Tunisia's small opposition parties had been assassinated, apparently by a Muslim extremist. In several parts of the country there were spontaneous protests by groups who felt that their new, hard-won freedoms were under threat, and others critical of an Islamist government that they felt had not done enough to control violent extremists. Chokri Belaid is to be buried tomorrow (Friday) and there will be a general strike. We plan to lay low - an easier decision because that terrible wind is still blowing out there. I just feel for the Tunisian people who are already struggling with poverty and unemployment - tourism and trade are way down already and this can only worsen the situation for them. Our own plans to see some of the rest of the country are on hold, of course; the last thing anyone needs is a couple of silly tourists mixed up in any unrest.

So, we are safe here for the moment; and being on a boat means we can leave pretty much instantly should the need arise, which is unlikely. The island of Lampedusa, which belongs to Italy, is only 80 miles away, and Malta is 160 - easy as long as that wind isn't on the nose.