TUNIS: Tunisian police arrested 237 people, including two Islamists, for attacking police stations and government buildings and for vandalism in anti-government protests, the interior ministry said on Wednesday, as a Jewish school was attacked.

Demonstrations broke out in the North African country on Sunday spreading since then to more than 20 towns as people protest against new tax and price increases imposed by the government on Jan 1 to reduce a ballooning deficit and satisfy foreign lenders.

While Tunisia is widely seen as the only democratic success story among the nations where Arab Spring revolts took place in 2011, it has had nine governments since then and none of them have been able to tackle growing economic problems.

Clashes erupted in more than 20 towns late on Tuesday, and some people also hurled petrol bombs at a Jewish school on the southern tourist island of Djerba, home to an ancient Jewish community.

There were no protests in Djerba but locals said the assailants had exploited the fact that there was a reduced security presence as police were busy elsewhere.

"Unknown people took the opportunity of the protests and threw Molotov cocktails into the lobby of a Jewish religious school in Djerba," the head of the local Jewish community, Perez Trabelsi, told Reuters.

Jews have lived in mainly Muslim Tunisia for over 2,000 years, and Djerba is home to Africa's oldest synagogue, which was hit by al Qaeda-linked militants in 2002 in a truck bomb attack that killed 21 people including Western tourists.

About 50 policemen were wounded in clashes and 237 arrested on Tuesday, said interior ministry spokesman Khelifa Chibani.

Among the arrested were two radical Islamists who had helped storm a police station in Nefza town, he said. In Tunis, a crowd stormed a Carrefour market.

"Last night criminals looted and burned security centres, 45 police cars were torched and some government offices were attacked," Chibani said.

"They blocked roads and carried out robberies in many cities ... Obviously, these are not protests, but theft and damage to public and private property."

Protests drew in hundreds in each town where demonstrations were staged but they have been smaller than in previous instances since 2011 in Tunisia, where Islamists, secular groups and labour unions have argued over the country's direction.

Public anger has been building since Jan. 1, when the government raised the prices of petrol and other items and hiked taxes on cars, phone calls, internet usage and hotel accommodation as part of those economic reforms.

The Ennahda Islamist party, which rules with secularists, said the government should raise the minimum monthly wage of 357 dinars (£105.8) and give more aid for poor families, joining similar calls by labour unions.

There was no immediate comment from the government.

But in a sign that the public coffers are strained, Taoufik Rajhi, minister of economic reforms, told parliament the state was unable to improve the health sector, infrastructure and education with one of the highest wage bills in the world in terms of the size of the economy.

Parliament approved on Tuesday a bill to offer voluntary redundancies to public service workers, part of the 2018 budget trying to cut the deficit.

The 2011 uprising and two major militant attacks in Tunisia in 2015 damaged foreign investment and tourism, which accounts for 8 percent of its economic activity.

The government says it wants to cut the public sector wage bill to 12.5 percent of gross domestic product in 2020 from about 15 percent now by offering voluntary redundancies.

But it is also trying to impose higher petrol prices and contributions to social security, which are tough for many people after years of hardship.</s>Image copyright Reuters Image caption One person has died and hundreds have been arrested in protests in Tunisia

More than 200 people have been arrested across Tunisia during a second night of protests, a government spokesperson has said.

At least 49 police officers were also injured during clashes with demonstrators, the spokesman added.

People had taken to the streets to protest against the government's austerity measures.

This was despite Prime Minister Yousef Chahed's assurances that 2018 would be the last "difficult" year.

He had previously acknowledged that the country was facing extraordinary and difficult times, and promised to end economic hardship.

What is happening in Tunisia?

Protests have taken place in at least 10 different areas in the last few days. One person has died.

The protests began peacefully last week, but escalated on Monday evening.

According to reports, on Tuesday night hundreds of young people gathered in some places, with some throwing rocks, blocking roads and looting, and others torching police cars and attacking government officials, interior ministry spokesperson Khelifa Chibani said.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption People are demanding an end to austerity

Police responded by firing tear gas at the demonstrators. As many as 237 people have been arrested, including two Islamists, news agency Reuters said.

A Jewish school on the island of Djerba was also petrol bombed. It is thought the attackers were taking advantage of police attention being elsewhere. No-one was injured.

The defence ministry said the army is now protecting banks, post offices and other government buildings in Tunisia's main cities.

Why are they protesting?

The anti-austerity demonstrators are demanding the government drop the 2018 budget, which opposition groups describe as "unfair". They also want to see better welfare for Tunisia's struggling families.

The protest comes after the government announced an increase in value-added tax and social contributions in the budget.

The new financial year has also brought with it price hikes on some goods and increased taxes on imports.

One Tunisian told the BBC: "Our demands include, primarily, the scrapping of the 2018 financial law, reducing the prices of essential goods, the reversal of privatisation of state entities…, social security and health coverage for the unemployed, provision of housing for families with a limited income, and a national and strategic plan in the fight against corruption.

"If they do not answer these demands, we will call for the scrapping of parliament."

What is the economic situation in Tunisia?

Tunisia has been struggling with finances since the 2011 revolution, when Zine El Abidine Ben Ali - who ruled for more than 20 years - was forced to flee.

The revolution was sparked by the country's high unemployment rates and worries about corruption.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption January is a common time for protests in Tunisia

Seven years on, and nine governments later, some of those same problems remain - not helped by a number of terrorist attacks which have damaged Tunisia's tourism industry and foreign investment opportunities.

In December 2017, the International Monetary Fund told Tunisia it needed to take "urgent action" and "decisive measures" to reduce its deficit.

It gave the country a $2.9bn loan in 2015.

But Prime Minister Chahed says this will be the last bad year for Tunisians.

"People have to understand that the situation is extraordinary and their country is having difficulties, but we believe that 2018 will be the last difficult year for the Tunisians," he said on Tuesday.</s>TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian police arrested 237 people, including two Islamists, for attacking police stations and government buildings and for vandalism in anti-government protests, the interior ministry said on Wednesday, as a Jewish school was attacked.

Demonstrations broke out in the North African country on Sunday spreading since then to more than 20 towns as people protest against new tax and price increases imposed by the government on Jan 1 to reduce a ballooning deficit and satisfy foreign lenders.

While Tunisia is widely seen as the only democratic success story among the nations where Arab Spring revolts took place in 2011, it has had nine governments since then and none of them have been able to tackle growing economic problems.

Clashes erupted in more than 20 towns late on Tuesday, and some people also hurled petrol bombs at a Jewish school on the southern tourist island of Djerba, home to an ancient Jewish community.

There were no protests in Djerba but locals said the assailants had exploited the fact that there was a reduced security presence as police were busy elsewhere.

“Unknown people took the opportunity of the protests and threw Molotov cocktails into the lobby of a Jewish religious school in Djerba,” the head of the local Jewish community, Perez Trabelsi, told Reuters.

Jews have lived in mainly Muslim Tunisia for over 2,000 years, and Djerba is home to Africa’s oldest synagogue, which was hit by al Qaeda-linked militants in 2002 in a truck bomb attack that killed 21 people including Western tourists.

About 50 policemen were wounded in clashes and 237 arrested on Tuesday, said interior ministry spokesman Khelifa Chibani.

Among the arrested were two radical Islamists who had helped storm a police station in Nefza town, he said. In Tunis, a crowd stormed a Carrefour market.

“Last night criminals looted and burned security centers, 45 police cars were torched and some government offices were attacked,” Chibani said.

“They blocked roads and carried out robberies in many cities ... Obviously, these are not protests, but theft and damage to public and private property.”

Protests drew in hundreds in each town where demonstrations were staged but they have been smaller than in previous instances since 2011 in Tunisia, where Islamists, secular groups and labor unions have argued over the country’s direction.

Public anger has been building since Jan. 1, when the government raised the prices of petrol and other items and hiked taxes on cars, phone calls, internet usage and hotel accommodation as part of those economic reforms.

The Ennahda Islamist party, which rules with secularists, said the government should raise the minimum monthly wage of 357 dinars ($143.17) and give more aid for poor families, joining similar calls by labor unions.

There was no immediate comment from the government.

But in a sign that the public coffers are strained, Taoufik Rajhi, minister of economic reforms, told parliament the state was unable to improve the health sector, infrastructure and education with one of the highest wage bills in the world in terms of the size of the economy.

Parliament approved on Tuesday a bill to offer voluntary redundancies to public service workers, part of the 2018 budget trying to cut the deficit.

The 2011 uprising and two major militant attacks in Tunisia in 2015 damaged foreign investment and tourism, which accounts for 8 percent of its economic activity.

The government says it wants to cut the public sector wage bill to 12.5 percent of gross domestic product in 2020 from about 15 percent now by offering voluntary redundancies.

But it is also trying to impose higher petrol prices and contributions to social security, which are tough for many people after years of hardship.</s>Tunis: More than 200 people have been arrested and dozens of police hurt during clashes in Tunisia, the interior ministry said Wednesday, as anger over austerity measures spilt over into unrest.

The North African country has been hailed for its relatively smooth democratic transition since a 2011 revolt that sparked the Arab Spring uprisings, but seven years after the revolution, tensions over economic grievances are high.

Tunisia has seen rising anger over hikes in value-added tax and social contributions after a tough new budget was applied at the start of the year.

Interior ministry spokesman Khalifa Chibani told local radio that 49 police officers were wounded during a second night of clashes across the country Tuesday to Wednesday and that 206 "troublemakers" were arrested.

Properties were damaged, he said, including a branch of the Carrefour supermarket chain in a suburb of Tunis that was looted.

After a calm day on Wednesday, residents said demonstrators in the evening took to the streets of Tebourba, a town west of the capital Tunis where a man in his 40s died in unrest on Monday night.

On a visit to a nearby town, Prime Minister Youssef Chahed condemned acts of "vandalism" that "serve the interests of corrupt networks to weaken the state", pointing the finger at a leftist party that called for protests.

Fresh clashes broke out on Wednesday night in the northern town of Siliana, where youths threw stones and molotov cocktails at security forces. Police responded with tear gas, an AFP correspondent said.

There were similar scenes in Kasserine, a town in Tunisia's neglected central region, with protesters burning tires to block roads and some throwing stones at police.

The army has been deployed around banks, post offices and other government buildings in the country's main cities, the defence ministry said.

There have been no figures given for the number of protesters injured in the clashes.

On Tuesday night, hundreds of young people took to the streets of Tebourba for the funeral of the man who died.

Police have insisted they did not kill him. Health Minister Imed Hammami said that results of an autopsy would be made public on Thursday.

Unrest was also reported in the working-class neighbourhoods of Djebel Lahmer and Zahrouni on the outskirts of Tunis, the central cities of Gafsa and Kasserine, and the northern town of Jedaida.

In the central town of Sidi Bouzid, the cradle of the protests that sparked the 2011 uprisings, youths blocked roads and hurled stones, and the police retaliated with tear gas, an AFP reporter said.

A representative of Tunisia's Jewish community said two Molotov cocktails were thrown at the entrance to two Talmudic schools on the Mediterranean island of Djerba, but their interiors were not damaged.

The recent unrest started with peaceful protests against the austerity measures last week, but escalated into clashes with police in the night of Monday to Tuesday.

Activists have called for a massive demonstration on Friday against the austerity measures, which are expected to increase the cost of living.

They have demanded a revision of the legislation behind the VAT and social contribution hikes, as well as better welfare for struggling families.

"There are acts of looting and robbery but also a political message from a section of the population that has nothing to lose and feels ignored" seven years after a revolution demanding work and dignity, said political scientist Selim Kharrat.

He said that many public buildings have been targeted while the government has "taken a pretty strong stance against the protesters".

Tunisia's economy has struggled since the 2011 revolution, which was fuelled by unemployment and graft.

Protests are common in the North African state in the month of January, when Tunisians mark the anniversary of the revolt that unseated dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

January 2016 saw the biggest wave of public discontent since the uprising as the death of an unemployed protester in Kasserine sparked days of unrest.

In December, unemployed protesters and activists marched through the streets of Sidi Bouzid, angry over the lack of jobs and opportunities that continue to plague residents.

In a report released on Thursday, conflict analysts International Crisis Group (ICG) warned the country's political class against succumbing to "authoritarian temptation".

While politicians had so far resisted the urge to backtrack on reforms, ICG said "in the context of an economic slump, the nostalgia for a strong state, like the one that the former regime claimed to defend, is spreading".

The revolution in Tunisia began in December 2010 after street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire and later died in a protest over unemployment and police harassment that spiralled into Ben Ali's overthrow.</s>(CNN) Demonstrators have taken to the streets in a number of Tunisian cities this week, calling for the government to scrap new austerity measures which include a hike in fuel prices and taxes on goods.

At least one man died in clashes that broke out Monday night between dozens of protesters and security forces in the town of Tebourba, near the capital Tunis, according to the state-run TAP news agency. Five security force personnel were injured, the news agency said.

Tunisia's Interior Ministry on Tuesday denied reports that the dead man was run over by a police car and said it was investigating the cause.

A dozen people, including teenagers, were arrested following renewed protests Tuesday night in Tebourba, TAP reported. Dozens more were detained in other towns including Nabeul, Jendouba and Sidi Bouzid following clashes with police, the news agency said.

More protests have been called for Friday, as a new youth movement and opposition lawmakers try to put pressure on the government to overturn the austerity measures.

What are the protests about?

Tunisia's government has increased taxes under the 2018 Finance Act. The new budget raised value-added tax (VAT), or sales tax, on cars, alcohol, phone calls, the internet, hotel accommodation and other items, according to the Reuters news agency.

The International Monetary Fund agreed in 2016 to a four-year loan program worth about $2.8 billion but payments are tied to the Tunisian government carrying out economic and social reforms.

Dr Lise Storm, senior lecturer in Middle East Politics at the University of Exeter, told CNN that many people were suffering real hardship but that the government had to act. "What people are protesting about is something that's painful but needs to happen," she said. "Tunisia really needs painful economic reform."

Protests are common in Tunisia in January, when many people mark the anniversary of the toppling in 2011 of the country's longtime autocratic leader, President Zine el Abedine Ben Ali. The towns where unrest has broken out -- including Tunis, Sidi Bouzid and Kasserine -- have often been the location for protests in the past, Storm said.

Storm considers the protests a "healthy sign" that the country's authoritarian legacy has waned because they show that people dare to speak out about their frustrations -- just as they do in the West, sometimes violently.

"Until democracy consolidates, I think it's a good thing that people feel they have the opportunity to demonstrate," she said.

The protests appear to have broken out spontaneously at a local level among people who have very little and are feeling desperate, said Storm.

A new, informal youth movement calling itself Fech Nestannew -- or "What are we waiting for?" -- sprang up at the start of the year and is now using social media to rally opposition to the price hikes.

The group, which uses an alarm clock as its logo to symbolize the need for population to wake up and act, puts its own membership at about 6,000 across the country, with hundreds of members in Tunis. Representatives say it is a loosely organized grassroots movement with no leader. Some of its members belong to opposition parties, while others are independent.

Henda Chennaoui, a founding member, told CNN on Tuesday that the movement's goal is to get the 2018 Finance Act overturned. Its members are explicitly anti-austerity and will rally until this happens, she said, adding: "We won't stop marching until our demands are met."

People feel intense anger toward the government over the economic situation, Chennaoui said, and the Finance Act was the last straw. More than 20 of the group's members were briefly detained after Sunday and Monday's protests, she said, but nobody remains in custody.

The movement has called for more protests on Friday.

What do the authorities say?

Finance Minister Ridha Chalghoum said the price hikes were necessary to help the country's economy grow.

"The taxes do not affect consumers' shopping basket regarding foodstuffs and other things, because these are not under VAT," he said.

"Among the achievements of democracy is the ability to organize and protest. But one must also work to make the Tunisian economy healthy. An economy in which the growth which has begun in 2017 can be consolidated."

Ennahdha, the Islamist party in Tunisia's governing coalition, condemned the violent aspect of the protests and what it described as "the exploitation of citizens' legitimate demands by certain anarchist groups" in a statement posted on its Facebook page Tuesday.

"Ennahdha stresses the legitimacy of demands for development and employment and citizens' full right to peaceful protest without violating the safety of others or attacking private and public property," it said.

What does the opposition say?

The leader of Tunisia's main opposition Popular Front Party, Hamma Hammami, called for the continuation of the protests at a press conference Tuesday, according to a video statement posted on his Facebook page.

"The Front is calling all Tunisian people go out to the streets for a peaceful protests country wide for one clear goal, which is to bring down these actions that destroyed the Tunisian country and its people," Hammami said.

What is the political backdrop to the protests?

Anti-government protests began in Tunisia in December 2010 amid anger over economic conditions and quickly spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

Subsequent elections have given power to the moderate Islamist Ennahda party and the secularist Nidaa Tounes party, led by President Beji Caid Essebsi and seen as representing the old brigade. A series of sometimes violent demonstrations have broken out over the years, motivated by political, economic and social concerns.

Despite the latest flurry of protests, Storm does not believe Tunisia's future is any more uncertain now than it was two or three years ago.

"While Tunisia is politically unstable, it does not look like a return to authoritarian rule is on the cards," she said. "You might see a cabinet reshuffle or elections, but these are part of the democratic fabric. Tunisia is not yet a consolidated democracy, hence, why it is unstable."

The fact that Tunisians have protested under various regimes since the Arab Spring, including Ennahda and Nidaa Tounes, can be seen as another healthy sign of a functioning democracy, Storm added.</s>More than 300 protesters were arrested overnight, and the army was deployed in several Tunisian cities to quell violent demonstrations over prices, taxes and unemployment that have swept the country.

In Thala, near the Algerian border, troops were sent in after protesters burned down the national security building forcing police to retreat from the town, witnesses told Reuters.

Violent anti-government protests have raged in other towns in the North African country since Monday, among them the tourist resort of Sousse, against price and tax increases imposed by government to cut a ballooning deficit and satisfy international lenders.

While Tunisia is widely seen as the only democratic success story among “Arab Spring” nations, it has also had nine governments since the overthrow of authoritarian leader Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, none of which have been able to deal with growing economic problems.

“Three hundred and thirty people involved in acts of sabotage and robbery were arrested last night,” interior Ministry spokesman Khelifa Chibani said bringing the number of detainees since the protests began to around 600.

The army was also deployed in several other cities, including Sousse, Kebeli and Bizert to protect government buildings that have become a target for protesters.

Uprisings in 2011 and two major militant attacks in 2015 damaged foreign investment and tourism, which accounts for much of Tunisia’s economic activity.

Prime Minister Youssef Chahed on Wednesday accused the opposition of fueling dissent by calling for more protests.

On Tuesday, petrol bombs were hurled at a Jewish school on the southern tourist island of Djerba, home to an ancient Jewish community.</s>Riot police clash with protesters during demonstrations against rising prices and tax increases, in Tebourba, Tunisia, January 9, 2018. — Reuters picTUNIS, Jan 10 — More than 200 people were arrested and dozens hurt during clashes in several parts of Tunisia, the interior ministry said today, after a second night of unrest driven by anger over austerity measures.

Ministry spokesman Khalifa Chibani told local radio that 49 police officers were wounded during clashes across the country and that 206 “troublemakers” were arrested.

Properties were damaged, he said, including a branch of the Carrefour supermarket chain in the suburbs of Tunis that was looted.

Police and army forces were deployed in several cities during the night, including in Tebourba 30 kilometres west of the capital Tunis, where hundreds of young people took to the streets after the funeral of a man in his 40s who died in unrest on Monday night.

Police have insisted they did not kill the man. The results of an autopsy have not been made public.

Unrest was also reported in the southern city of Gafsa, in Kasserine in central Tunisia and in Sidi Bouzid, the cradle of the protests that sparked the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.

Tunisia has seen several days of demonstrations after activists and politicians denounced hikes in value-added tax and social contributions introduced at the start of the year as a tough new budget was implemented.

Protests are common in the North African state in the month of January, when Tunisians mark the anniversary of the 2011 revolt that unseated dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

The country has been hailed for its relatively smooth democratic transition but seven years after the revolution tensions over economic grievances are high. — AFP</s>Dozens of police officers have been injured and more than 200 people arrested as wide-scale protests in Tunisia over rising prices and austerity measures entered their fourth day on Thursday, media reports said.

Starting out as peaceful demonstrations last week, the protests turned violent on Monday and Tuesday and have since spilled over to at least four other towns, including the outskirts of the nation’s capital Tunis, Reuters reported.

Tunisia has seen days of street protests against hikes in value-added tax and social security contributions introduced earlier this month as the government grapples with a growing budget deficit and the need to meet its foreign debt obligations.

The authorities have deployed military units to protect government buildings, banks and stores and threatened to clamp down on violent protests some of which have resulted in looting, setting buildings on fire and violent clashes with the police.

"What happened is violence that we cannot accept. The state will remain steadfast," Prime Minister Youssef Chahed warned in a radio address.

​One protester was killed on Monday, but police said they were not responsible. There is no available information about the number of injured protesters.

In the past few years, the North African country has been rocked by massive demonstrations held each January to mark the anniversary of the 2011 Jasmine Revolution that toppled President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

​Despite its relatively smooth democratic transition, Tunisia remains plagued by economic problems, high unemployment and political turbulence that no post-revolution government has been able to resolve.

READ MORE: Protests Against Unemployment, Price Hikes Take Place in Tunisia (PHOTOS)

The 2011 Jasmine Revolution led to a thorough democratization of the country and to free and democratic elections and sparked a wave of similar revolutions across North Africa and the Middle East which have come to be known as the Arab Spring.</s>Riot police clash with protesters during demonstrations against rising prices and tax increases, in Tebourba, Tunisia, 9 January 2018. Photo: REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi

TUNIS - More than 200 people have been arrested and dozens hurt during clashes in several parts of Tunisia, the interior ministry said Wednesday, after the second night of unrest driven by anger over austerity measures.

The North African country has been hailed for its relatively smooth democratic transition since its 2011 uprising, but seven years after the revolution tensions over economic grievances are high.

Tunisia has seen rising anger over hikes in value-added tax and social contributions after a tough new budget was applied at the start of the year.

Interior ministry spokesman Khalifa Chibani told local radio that 49 police officers were wounded during clashes across the country and that 206 "troublemakers" were arrested overnight.

Properties were damaged, he said, including a branch of the Carrefour supermarket chain in the suburbs of Tunis that was looted.

A witness said youths threw stones at shop windows on Tuesday evening, taking advantage of the chaos to steal goods including electrical appliances. The police intervened, firing tear gas.

The army has been deployed around banks, post offices and other government buildings in the country's main cities, the defence ministry said.

In Tebourba 30 kilometres west of the capital Tunis, hundreds of young people took to the streets on Tuesday after the funeral of a man in his 40s who died in the unrest.

Police have insisted they did not kill the man. The results of an autopsy have not been made public.

Unrest was also reported in the working-class neighbourhoods of Djebel Lahmer and Zahrouni on the outskirts of Tunis, the central cities of Gafsa and Kasserine, and the northern town of Jedaida.

But AFP correspondents said calm had returned to these areas on Wednesday morning.

In the central town of Sidi Bouzid, the cradle of the protests that sparked the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, youths blocked roads and hurled stones, causing the police to retaliate with tear gas, an AFP reporter said.

A representative of Tunisia's Jewish community said two Molotov cocktails were thrown at the entrance to two Talmudic schools on the Mediterranean island of Djerba, but their interiors were not damaged.

The recent unrest started with peaceful protests against the austerity measures last week but escalated into clashes with police on the night of Monday to Tuesday.

Activists have called for a massive demonstration on Friday against the austerity measures, which are expected to increase the cost of living.

They have called for the revision of the legislation behind the VAT and social contribution hikes, as well as better welfare for struggling families.

"There are acts of looting and robbery but also a political message from a section of the population that has nothing to lose and feels ignored" seven years after a revolution demanding work and dignity, said political scientist Selim Kharrat.

He said that many public buildings have been targeted while the government has "taken a pretty strong stance against the protesters".

The powerful UGTT trade union said young unemployed Tunisians had legitimate demands but condemned the "violence and looting", calling for peaceful protests.

Tunisia's economy has struggled since the 2011 revolution, which was fuelled by unemployment and graft.

Protests are common in the North African state in the month of January, when Tunisians mark the anniversary of the revolt that unseated dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

January 2016 saw the biggest wave of public discontent since the uprising as the death of an unemployed protester in Kasserine sparked days of unrest.

In December, unemployed protesters and activists marched through the streets of Sidi Bouzid, angry over the lack of jobs and opportunities that continue to plague residents.

The revolution in Tunisia began in the town in December 2010 after street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire and later died in a protest over unemployment and police harassment that spiralled into Ben Ali's overthrow.</s>Over 300 protesters were arrested on Wednesday night and the army was deployed in several Tunisian cities in violent demonstrations over prices, taxes and unemployment that have swept the country. In Thala, near the Algerian border, troops were sent in after protesters burned down the national security building forcing police to retreat from the town, witnesses told Reuters.

Violent anti-government protests have raged in other towns in the North African country since Monday, among them the tourist resort of Sousse, against price and tax rises imposed by government to cut a ballooning deficit and satisfy international lenders.

While Tunisia is widely seen as the only democratic success story among "Arab Spring" nations, it has also had nine governments since the overthrow of Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, none of which have been able to deal with growing economic problems. "Three hundred and thirty people involved in acts of sabotage and robbery were arrested last night," Interior Ministry spokesman Khelifa Chibani said bringing the number of detainees since the protests began to around 600, as reported by Reuters. The army was also deployed in several other cities, including Sousse, Kebeli and Bizerte to protect government buildings that have become a target for protesters.

Uprisings in 2011 and two major militant attacks in 2015 damaged foreign investment and tourism, which account for eight percent of Tunisia's economic activity.Protests are common in the North African state in the month of January, when Tunisians mark the anniversary of the 2011 revolt. The country has been hailed for its relatively smooth democratic transition but seven years after the revolution tensions over economic grievances are high.

Tunisia has seen several days of demonstrations after activists and politicians denounced hikes in value-added tax and social contributions introduced at the start of the year as a tough new budget was implemented.

Tunisia's economy has struggled since the revolution, with growth remaining slow. January 2016 saw the biggest wave of public discontent since the uprising as the death of an unemployed protester in Kasserine sparked days of unrest.

In December, unemployed protesters and activists marched through the streets of Sidi Bouzid, angry over the lack of jobs and opportunities that continue to plague residents. The revolution in Tunisia began in the town in December 2010 after street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire and later died in a protest over unemployment and police harassment that spiraled into Ben Ali's overthrow.

Prime Minister Youssef Chahed on Wednesday accused the opposition of fueling dissent by calling for more protests.

On Tuesday, petrol bombs were hurled at a Jewish school on the southern tourist island of Djerba, home to an ancient Jewish community.
More than two hundred people are arrested across Tunisia as protests against economic conditions continue to grip the North African country. At least 49 police officers have been injured during clashes with protesters.