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<p class="yiv447210274msonormal">Dear Friends,</p>
<p class="yiv447210274msonormal">We imagine that you have been
following the current news in Tunisia these days. Here is a short
recap:</p>
<p class="yiv447210274msonormal">Repeated physical aggressions
against Tunisian artists and intellectuals have taken place in
several regions of the country: March 2012, a theatrical event was
attacked by thousands of Salafists in downtown Tunis and artists
were aggressed. Intellectuals were attacked during public
conferences. May 2012, an attempt to murder with severe physical
aggression took place on a theatre professor and artist and the
members of an artistic association in Kef… All this happened
openly and publicly without intervention of the police and without
a serious position being taken by the government to protect
artists and condemn and arrest the aggressors!</p>
<p class="yiv447210274msonormal">From June 1st to 10th 2012, the
« Printemps des Arts » exhibition took place in Tunis. All went
well until the last day when a bailiff took photos a few of the
paintings and took them to a Mosque held by fundamentalists,
claiming that the works were blasphemous. Islamist groups on
Facebook then made a montage of a few of the paintings they judged
blasphemous (the caricature of a bearded man, the installation of
women’s busts being lapidated, ants coming out of a schoolchild’s
bag and forming the word « Glory to God » knowing that the ant is
a privileged insect in the Qur’an) and adding photos of paintings
and works that had never been exhibited in the event let alone in
Tunisia.</p>
<p class="yiv447210274msonormal">From that moment, a snowball effect
ensued: extremists attacked the Abdelliya Palace were the
exhibition took place, destroying and burning works of art,
private and public premises were vandalised, confrontations
between the police and fundamentalists took place causing dozens
of wounded and even one death among the ranks of the Salafist
trouble makers….</p>
<p class="yiv447210274msonormal">Instead of appeasing tensions and
re-establishing the truth about the exhibition, the members of
Government accused the artists of attacking symbols of Islam.</p>
<p class="yiv447210274msonormal">The authorities thus entertained
the confusion in the minds of the people and participated to the
division. And on top of all that, our own Minister, M Mehdi
Mabrouk, Minister of Culture, contributed to blacklisting of
creators by deciding to close the space Abdelliya and by suing the
organisers of the exhibition, thus exposing the artists to
popular condemnation and trial by the mob.</p>
<p class="yiv447210274msonormal">Some leaders of opinion such as the
Imam of the Zitouna Mosque (<a
href="http://www.tuniscope.com/index.php/article/14137/actualites/tunisie/fdfdds-481415"
target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.tuniscope.com/index.php/article/14137/actualites/tunisie/fdfdds-481415</a>),
or heads of Salafist groups, clearly called out for the murder of
our artists. Many artists now receive death threats by text
message, or phone calls or through the social networks every day.</p>
<p class="yiv447210274msonormal">The Union of visual artists
announced in a press conference that they would sue three
Ministers including the Minister of Culture.</p>
<p class="yiv447210274msonormal">We are writing to you, dear
colleagues, friends of Art and freedom in order for you to support
us in the face of this new Inquisition. We ask you to publish
press releases expressing your solidarity with the Tunisian
artists.</p>
<p class="yiv447210274msonormal">In order for this to have a strong
and efficient impact, these releases should be official and signed
by a large number of unions and associations in the fields of Art
(visual art, cinema, dance, theatre, music…)</p>
<p class="yiv447210274msonormal">A very vigorous international
denunciation addressed to this government published in Newspapers
and on the Net would represent and extraordinary disavowal which
would force them to preserve freedom of conscience, creation,
expression and the life of artists.</p>
<p class="yiv447210274msonormal">The situation is very critical and
your support and commitment for our cause would be a salutary
action.</p>
<p class="yiv447210274msonormal">Thanking you in advance for your
support.</p>
<p class="yiv447210274msonormal">The Tunisian collective for Art,
Culture and Freedom.<br>
</p>
<p class="yiv447210274msonormal"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.petitions24.net/appel_a_soutenir_les_artistes_tunisiens_call_for_the_support_of_t">http://www.petitions24.net/appel_a_soutenir_les_artistes_tunisiens_call_for_the_support_of_t</a><br>
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