Tunisia: The Cry of Protestors Echoes Around the World  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This post is part of our special coverage of Tunisia Revolution 2011.
The cries of Tunisians, protesting against corruption and joblessness for the past two weeks, is gathering momentum on the World Wide Web. Netizens from around the world are rallying behind them and echoing their calls.
It all started when an unemployed man set himself on fire in protest against his unemployment in Sidi Bouzid. According to the Los Angeles Times:
The death triggered violent clashes between young demonstrators and
police forces that resulted in the death of an 18-year-old after
National Guard members opened fire on angry protesters in a nearby town
two days later.
Further marches and protests later spread to the capital and the cities of Sfax, Sousse and Meknassi.
From India, Anja Kovacs hits the nail on the head. She tweets:
Tunisia's seen a genuine revolt over last few weeks, but outside of Middle East, it's hardly reported. Why? http://bit.ly/he2Let #sidibouzid
She adds:
To know more abt what is happening in #Tunisia & get continuous updates, good people to follow are @ifikra , @weddady, @nawaat #sidibouzid
Egyptian Wael Nofal poses a similar question in this tweet:
@stephenfry Are you following what's going on in #SidiBouZid #Tunisia ؟It's odd why western media turned face away, unlike #Iran last year
And DanersB, who splits her time between Beirut, Dubai and Montreal, notes:
Ever the optimist! @dr_davidson: Heavyhandedness from #Tunisia ‘s despot, #BenAli, may well set the tone for the #Arab world's next decade
From the US, HarvardDr brings up yet another reference to Iran – this time referring to the end of the Shah's era. He writes (Ar):
From Washington DC, Priyanka Joseph is stunned by the wall of silence. She writes:
Someone's channeling Kundera. Shit's going down in #Tunisia, not a word of it on the news here (no surprise) nor on TTrends/my timeline.
Anne Eksten, from Denmark, notes:
Government #Tunisia respond to peaceful protest by Live Ammunition, Security Siege, Violence http://goo.gl/rnL0p /@Elicoopter_mid @RamyRaoof
And from the Netherlands, Mark adds:
“We are unhappy with the policies in Tunisia, we are unhappy with everything – it is not just unemployment.” #tunisia
Egyptian writer Mona Eltahawy urges her colleagues in the media to make a stand:
Friends, esp those with media connections, please tweet and RT #Tunisia and #SidiBouzid. Let's stand with Tunisians fighting oppression.
And Hisham Kassem, also from Egypt, is baffled:
Meanwhile, from Portnoy, from Taiwan, is left wondering:
For more tweets on Tunisia, check the hashtags #Tunisia and #sidibouzid
This post is part of our special coverage of Tunisia Revolution 2011.