On Saturday, October 17, 2026, a unified, nationwide popular march will be held in Tunis. Decided on September 29 at the UGTT headquarters by a coordinating committee comprising the UGTT, the Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LTDH), the National Bar Association of Tunisia, and numerous other civil society organizations, the march’s slogan is: “Tunisia First… The People Above All Else.”

A social and economic crisis that is suffocating the population. Eroding purchasing power, rising unemployment and precarious living conditions, and the decline of public services: Tunisians are seeing their living conditions deteriorate year after year. Shortages of water, medicine, and basic goods—this summer, just as in previous summers—have exposed a government incapable of meeting even the most basic needs.

Freedoms and democracy have been dismantled. Since Kaïs Saïed’s power grab on July 25, 2021, the gains of the Revolution for Freedom and Dignity have been almost entirely undermined. Freedom of the press, freedom of expression, freedom of creative expression, and freedom of association have been successively attacked; the justice system is being exploited; and trials and convictions are multiplying against activists, lawyers, journalists, union members, and members of the opposition. Organizations that defend rights—including the LTDH, the UGTT, and the Bar Association—are being obstructed, threatened, or suspended. Today, it is the right to peaceful protest—the last remaining space for collective expression—that is under direct attack: nighttime arrests, prosecutions of ordinary participants, and the criminalization of solidarity itself.

Yet the Tunisian people have set an example. Their 2011 revolution dazzled the entire world; it was the spark that ignited the “Arab Spring” and inspired numerous movements for democracy and dignity far beyond the region. This momentum must not be stifled.

We are therefore calling for a public meeting in Paris on Friday, October 16, 2026, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., at the Maltais Rouge (40 rue de Malte, 75011), on the eve of the Tunis march, featuring remarks from the organizers and supporting organizations, to:

• express our support and solidarity with the national march and the social and democratic forces behind it;
• to defend freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of association, and the right to protest, as well as the independence of the judiciary and the right to a fair trial: protesting is a right, not a crime; solidarity is not a crime;
• demand the immediate release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience;
• defend economic and social rights: decent work, purchasing power, health care, education, transportation, and quality public services for everyone;
• to assert that Tunisia's future belongs to its people: Tunisia first.

We must step up our efforts and bring all forces together. Only through united action by democratic forces, labor unions, civic organizations, and citizens—both in Tunisia and abroad—can we push back against arbitrary rule. This march must be a step forward, not an end in itself.

International solidarity is more essential than ever. We call on human rights organizations, labor unions, political organizations, elected officials, and democrats around the world to provide stronger support to Tunisian organizations fighting for freedom and democracy: by publicly denouncing human rights violations and by holding their governments and international institutions accountable. Silence plays into the hands of authoritarian regimes.

We call on Tunisians living in France, friends of Tunisia, and associations, unions, political parties, and groups committed to freedom and social justice to join this public meeting and help spread the word about this call.

Public meeting in Paris – Friday, October 16, 2026, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
At Le Maltais Rouge, 40 rue de Malte, 75011 Paris

At the call of:

Committee for the Respect of Human Rights and Freedoms in Tunisia (CRLDHT), Federation of Tunisian Citizens on Both Shores (FTCR),

Democratic Association of Tunisians in France (ADTF),

Union of Tunisian Immigrant Workers (UTIT),

Association for the Defense of Justice in Tunisia (ADJT),

With the support of:  

International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

League for Human Rights (LDH)

Association of Maghreb Workers in France (ATMF),

Riposte Internationale (RI),

Committee for the Preservation of the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights (CS-LADDH),

Association of Citizens of Turkish Origin (ACORT),

Cedetim/IPAM,

Association for the Defense of Human Rights in Morocco (ASDHOM)

Frantz Fanon Foundation (FFF)

Women in All Their Diversity  

The APRES Movement

Mehdi Ben Barka Institute: Living Memory

Association of Moroccans in France (AMF)

Moroccan Association for Human Rights—Paris (AMDH Paris Île-de-France)

For a Democratic Alternative in Algeria (PADA)

Association of Families of Sahrawi Prisoners and Missing Persons (AFAPRAEDESA)