Doctors molested by riot-police at the presidential palace

Anti-riot police have yesterday used force to disperse doctors who were trying to reach the presidential palace and organize a sit-in on spot.

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• The security forces compelled the protesters to shift their itinerary and assemble in the backstreet that leads to the presidential palace after using clubs to slam some of them on the heads and backs to foil their attempt to resist.
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• The doctor succeeded to slip past the security forces’ vigilance and went unnoticed after hiding their blouses in their satchels and slipped through the main street to reach the presidential palace.
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• At 11 am, the timing agreed upon for the sit-in, the police forces were surprised by a group of citizens who opened their satchels and took out their blouses to wear the m on while standing nearby the presidential building.
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• The situation went out of control and degenerated when the security forces tried to disperse the protesters and push them back causing injuries among them. The doctors didn’t yield and kept on their position raising slogans like “ After Zizou (Zidane) it’s our turn to be received”… “ We are doctors not terrorists”.
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• The police officers have prevented the journalists who moved on spot to cover the event from doing their job, when they denied them access to cordoned area. Echourok photographer was stripped of his camera’s memory card but he retrieved it after being obliged to erase the content.
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• After about an hour of protests, an emissary from the presidency has accepted to confer with the doctors’ representatives and called on both Mohammed Youssfi and Lyes Merabet to follow him inside the presidential palace.
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• They were received by the presidency’s public relations’ officer who promised them to examine all their grievances within the coming few days. After an hour of discussions the two representatives went out of the palace’s premises and joined their colleagues to forward the president’s special envoy message.
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• The protesters have decided to end their sit –in and sang the national anthem before leaving the area, but decide to prolong their strike until the fulfilment of their requests.