User:محمد أمين الطرابلسي/sandbox1
| 1938 Tunisian protests | |
|---|---|
| 9 April protests | |
 Crowd of demonstrators on 8 April 1938. The slogan "There must be a national government" appears on the front sign. | |
| Date | 9 April 1938 |
| Location | Tunis, Tunisia |
| Goals | Release of Neo Destourian Prisoners |
| Casualties | |
| Death(s) | 22 Tunisian manifestos 1 French gendarme |
| Injuries | 150 |
The 1938 Tunisian protests or 9 April protests, were protests and riots that took place at 9 April 1938 in Tunis in a context of popular demonstrations demanding political reforms, in particular the establishment of a parliament, a major step towards the independence of Tunisia, still under French protectorate.
Overwhelmed by a spontaneous movement, the police forces and the army only restored calm at the cost of many deaths among the rioters. This date is a significant event in the Tunisian national movement.
Context
[edit]The Popular Front's access to power in France and its willingness to engage in dialogue with nationalist leaders allowed the return of Tunisian nationalists who had been interned in southern Tunisia. A wind of hope then rose in Tunisia when Pierre Viénot, Undersecretary of State for the Maghreb Protectorates, declared on the radio on 1 March 1937, that it was necessary to involve Tunisians in the management of public affairs.
The speech was very well received by the leaders of the Neo Destour. Habib Bourguiba proclaimed that "the indissoluble union between France and Tunisia constitutes the basis of all the demands of the Neo Destour" while Mahmoud El Materi wrote that "the Tunisian population in its entirety is ready to provide its collaboration in the implementation of the new policy."
Fall of the Popular Front
[edit]On 21 June 1937, the Léon Blum government, which had pursued a policy of openness toward the colonies, was forced to resign due to the economic crisis that was shaking France. Pierre Viénot left his post. Bourguiba tried to renew ties with the new government by going to Paris in October. There he met Albert Sarraut, Minister of State responsible for the coordination of North African affairs, who made him understand that the deterioration of the international situation was pushing the aspirations of the Tunisian people into the background and that the time had come to regain control of North Africa in anticipation of the impending conflict. The nationalist leader then understood that the time for peaceful negotiations had passed.
Hardening of the Neo Destour
[edit]In the meantime, Abdelaziz Thâalbi, founder of the Destour, returned to the country on 5 July 1937 after a voluntary exile and received a triumphant welcome. Everyone hoped that he would succeed in unifying the two rival parties, but Bourguiba did not intend to be stripped of his attributions. After denouncing the unification agreement, he sent his militants to sabotage Thâalbi's public gatherings. On 25 September Destour and Neo Destour militants clashed in Mateur, where one person was killed and fourteen seriously injured. On 2 October in Béja, a Neo Destour militant was killed and four injured when the police forces tried to control the militiamen who had taken the city to prevent any gathering of the rival party.
From 30 ctober 1937 to 2 November the Neo Destour held its congress to take a position with regard to the Destour, but also to decide on the position to adopt with regard to the French authorities. The congress saw two tendencies clash: that of the moderates led by Mahmoud El Materi and that of the radicals led by Habib Bougatfa. The line of conduct chosen by Bourguiba was situated between the two tendencies, approving El Materi's political motion while integrating the reservations of the radicals. The Neo Destour maintained its confidence in the resident general Armand Guillon but withdrew it from the "current French government with radical leadership, due to the repressive measures in North Africa". To mark his disagreement with the authoritarian direction that Bourguiba imposed on the party, El Materi presented his resignation from the presidency at the end of the congress. It was made official on 3 January.
Preliminary Incidents
[edit]
The Neo Destour political bureau called for a general strike in solidarity with the Algerian and Moroccan brothers for 20 November 1937, but the strike was only slightly followed. To respond to the reluctance of many Tunisians in the face of this escalation, Bourguiba used his talent as a writer to mobilize hesitant energies. On 25 December in an article in L'Action Tunisienne, he attacked for the first time Armand Guillon, who had been spared until then, and added:
It is as if the government is now looking for a fight; it will find one. And it is not certain that the preponderance will emerge victorious… The country is therefore determined to fight. It is also ready for all the sacrifices that this fight entails.
The first clashes took place in Bizerte on 8 January 1938. That day, a neo Destourian demonstration wanted to go to the city's civil control to protest against the expulsion to Algeria of the cell's secretary, Hassan Nouri. Overwhelmed, the police opened fire, killing seven activists and injuring about ten. Habib Bourguiba then began, from the end of January and until March, a tour of the cells in Tunisia in order to mobilize his troops in anticipation of a repression announced as imminent. He even launched calls for the refusal of taxes and conscription and urged his supporters to respond to the repression with resistance and agitation. The students of the University of Ez-Zitouna were encouraged to strike, which led to the dismissal of 108 of them for activities within the Neo Destour, formation of student committees linked to the Neo Destour and illegal associations.
But if the activists follow their leader blindly, it is not the same for the party leaders who want to avoid a showdown. The national council meeting on March 15 adopts a moderate motion despite Bourguiba's maneuvers to impose his radical line.