Tunisia gripped by political uncertainty after killing Protests, uncertainty in Tunisia after killing NEW: Tunisia's government failed to protect Chokri Belaid, a rights group says Police fire tear gas as violent protests break out in the capital for a second day Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali sacks the government and calls for new elections His party says the dissolution is "not binding" and is discussing whether to accept it Read more on Arabic.CNN.com. Tunis, Tunisia (CNN) -- The wail of sirens and the firing of tear gas canisters echoed through the streets of the Tunisian capital, Tunis, for a second day Thursday, as the political turmoil triggered by the assassination of an opposition leader continued to spur unrest. Chokri Belaid was shot dead outside his home Wednesday morning, throwing the country into confusion and prompting angry protests. The unrest calmed overnight but broke out anew Thursday, as young protesters threw rocks at security forces on a central Tunis boulevard. Police responded with tear gas. Late Wednesday, Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali, head of the moderate religious party Ennahda, sacked his Cabinet and called for new elections, leaving himself at the head of a caretaker government. However, a top Ennahda party official said Thursday that Jebali's call to dissolve the Cabinet and offer up a new technocratic government is "not binding." Tunisia's president: 'The extremists are a minority of a minority' Ennahda executive bureau member Abdel Hamid Jlassi said party officials were meeting to discuss whether to accept the dissolution. Jebali's move came soon after violent clashes broke out in front of the Interior Ministry in Tunis, where police used tear gas to disperse protesters angered by the assassination of Belaid. One police officer died after he tackled looters amid the disturbances Wednesday, Tunisia's state-run news agency TAP quoted an interior ministry official as saying. Protesters also rallied elsewhere Wednesday, including the central town of Sidi Bouzid, the birthplace of the revolution that toppled former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali two years ago. The French Embassy in Tunisia said all French-run schools in the North African country would be closed on Friday and Saturday. Belaid's family told local media his funeral would be held Friday, according to TAP. Read more: Who will win battle for the new Tunisia? Belaid routinely received death threats for his outspoken criticism of Tunisia's moderate Islamist-led government. He talked about the bullying on his frequent television appearances but said he didn't fear for his life. Belaid had criticized the government, saying it was not doing enough to take on hardline Salafists. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Some speculate an extremist Salafist group may have been behind it. Support for Belaid went beyond his own party, the secular-leftist Democratic Patriots. He was the voice of a large coalition of secular opposition parties known as the Popular Front and had a reputation for decrying violence. Amna Guellali, of the rights group Human Rights Watch, said the government bore some responsibility for his death because of its "laxity" in failing to respond to a climate of rising political violence. "We warned the government that these incidents of violence should be investigated thoroughly and that people who have perpetrated these acts should be punished ... but we haven't heard anything back," she told CNN in Tunis. The climate of intimidation included calls by preachers in some mosques in July for the killing of certain Tunisian political figures and personalities, including Chokri Belaid, she said. "We didn't see the government reacting to these calls of clear incitement to murder," she said. A government has to protect its citizens ... especially if there are clear threats against this person. Jebali, who condemned Belaid's killing, urged the Tunisian people not to rush to conclusions but to await the results of investigations by judicial authorities, TAP reported. "Belaid was killed, but the real target behind the assassination is the Tunisian revolution as a whole, "Jebali said of his political adversary. Belaid's brother, Abdelmajid Belaid, blamed Jebali's party for the killing, and angry protesters stormed Ennahda offices Wednesday. Interior Minister Ali al-Areed, who denied any involvement by his party, vowed to track down the killers and joined the chorus of moral indignation, calling Belaid's assassination "an attack on all Tunisians." Women's Minister Sihem Badi told CNN that it was important that Tunisians remain united at this difficult time. People are worried that the upheaval may lead to a return to the situation as it was before the Arab Spring revolution, said Badi, a member of the Congress for the Republic party. To prevent that from happening, it is vital that Tunisia remains committed to the process begun two years ago, she said, with the country's political parties, media and civil society coming together to safeguard the freedoms and democratic progress won by the people. Read more: How a fruit seller caused revolution in Tunisia "We must protect our revolution," she said. We need time, we need patience, we need the agreement of many partners -- we can't work alone. Badi said the violent protests that broke out Wednesday were a natural response to the shocking death of Belaid. But, she said, such clashes are unusual in Tunisia and she does not expect them to continue. "We have a very difficult period now, but it's important to prepare good conditions for future elections," she said, including agreement on a new constitution. Belaid was shot by an unknown gunman as he left his home in a quiet Tunis suburb for work Wednesday morning, according to a witness. The attack was "a clear message to Tunisians ... shut up, or we kill you," Abdelmajid Belaid said. He said his brother had been "receiving threats of murder for a long time," including a text message Tuesday. And Chokri Belaid's widow, Basma, told Tunisian state TV: "We are damned. The political struggle is damned in Tunisia. Journalist Houda Zaghdoudi and Dan Rivers reported from Tunis and Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported from London. CNN's Jo Shelley, Jessica King, Saad Abedine and Ben Brumfield contributed to this report.