Lotfi Abdelli filmed a heated exchange with the police in the middle of his performance at the International Festival of Sfax. His one-man show had to end early.
By Lilia Blaise (Tunis (Tunisia) correspondent)
LeMONDE
Published on August 10, 2022
The scene was not a planned part of the evening's program. In the middle of a one-man show, on Sunday, August 7, at the International Festival of Sfax, the comedian Lotfi Abdelli filmed himself, on stage, following a heated exchange with plainclothes officers. "Did I insult the police? Did I say mean things?" he asked, phone in hand, using an audience of several thousand people as witnesses, while the general confusion on stage led to the show's early end. The incident was broadcast live on Facebook.
"I am permanently leaving the country... you have stolen the little hope I had," the performer announced the next day. The cancellation of the show at Sfax following a verbal altercation between the performer and police officers has quickly revived the debate on freedom of expression in Tunisia. The Tunisian League of Human Rights issued a statement condemning the police's "interference" in the show and "the attack on the right of expression and creativity."
A provocative comedian with 2 million followers on Instagram, Mr. Abdelli is no stranger to using rude puns in the Tunisian dialect. And he spares no one: not political figures, nor institutions. Though the audience may appreciate it, the authorities are increasingly wary.
'Guardians of morality'
Sunday night, the sketch that started the fire was about Mr. Abdelli's grandmother's unpaid electricity bills. The comedian told off the police, the government, the president and the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (STEG), using his middle finger by touching his genitals. Outraged, the police officers who were present to maintain security threatened to leave the area.
On Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Response Unit Branch Officers' Union, Mohamed Messai, accused the performer of "inciting hatred toward police officers." Another union announced that the police would boycott security for shows that offend morality.Read more Subscribers only Tunisia: 'The presidential project of a new Constitution is dangerous'
However, the tone was completely different from the Ministry of the Interior, which issued a statement the same day pledging that they would continue to ensure security at festivals. The ministry recalled that "an obscene gesture by the comedian" during the show in Sfax had "angered the police," but that Mr. Abdelli and his team had then been escorted to their hotel without incident. Nevertheless, the prosecutor's office has opened an investigation because, according to several witnesses, the performer's producer, Mohamed Boudhina, was allegedly attacked after the show. Police unions have denied this version of the events.
The incident has inflamed online debate in Tunisia on freedom of expression, some lamenting that it is now being threatened. "The police pose as guardians of morality in an already worrisome situation for freedoms," said lawyer Wahid Ferchichi, president of the Association for the Defense of Individual Liberties. He added, "Everyone knows this comedian's flair, and Tunisian audiences accept many things that are considered indecent if they're said on stage. The reaction of the police unions is shocking."
'Look where the country is headed!'
Since the coup on July 25, 2021, through which President Kais Saied claimed full powers for himself by establishing an emergency government, Parliament has been dissolved, the High Judicial Council has been abolished and replaced by a new one appointed by the head of state and civilians have been prosecuted before military courts. This concentration of powers within the presidency was finally ratified in a referendum voted on July 25. The new Constitution, which combines an all-powerful president and religious conservatism, was approved by 94% of voters – with a turnout of 30.5%.
Mr. Abdelli has not hidden the fact that he was in favor of voting "yes" on the referendum. That support did not prevent him, on Sunday night in Sfax, from challenging President Saied. "Look where the country is headed!" he said after his altercation with the police.
The rest of the comedian's summer shows have been canceled by his production team, believing that the comedian is no longer safe. Some fear the return of a police state. Lotfi Hamadi, a commentator with tens of thousands of followers on social media, posted a reminder on Facebook of the incidents that took place in 2013 between the police and Tunisian rappers. One of them, Weld 15, wrote a song called "Boulicia Kleb" ("Cops Are Dogs") and was sentenced to two years in prison for insulting an officer. The rapper was also beaten up by the police after one of his concerts.
As for Mr. Abdelli, he had to cancel several shows in 2020 following a controversy over a joke about the underwear of a female politician, MP Abir Moussi. At the time, the comedian said the president expressed his support and refused any form of censorship.Read more Kais Saied's dangerous plan for Tunisia
Lilia Blaise(Tunis (Tunisia) correspondent)
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.
The scene was not a planned part of the evening's program. In the middle of a one-man show, on Sunday, August 7, at the International Festival of Sfax, the comedian Lotfi Abdelli filmed himself, on stage, following a heated exchange with plainclothes officers. "Did I insult the police? Did I say mean things?" he asked, phone in hand, using an audience of several thousand people as witnesses, while the general confusion on stage led to the show's early end. The incident was broadcast live on Facebook.
"I am permanently leaving the country... you have stolen the little hope I had," the performer announced the next day. The cancellation of the show at Sfax following a verbal altercation between the performer and police officers has quickly revived the debate on freedom of expression in Tunisia. The Tunisian League of Human Rights issued a statement condemning the police's "interference" in the show and "the attack on the right of expression and creativity."
A provocative comedian with 2 million followers on Instagram, Mr. Abdelli is no stranger to using rude puns in the Tunisian dialect. And he spares no one: not political figures, nor institutions. Though the audience may appreciate it, the authorities are increasingly wary.
'Guardians of morality'
Sunday night, the sketch that started the fire was about Mr. Abdelli's grandmother's unpaid electricity bills. The comedian told off the police, the government, the president and the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (STEG), using his middle finger by touching his genitals. Outraged, the police officers who were present to maintain security threatened to leave the area.
On Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Response Unit Branch Officers' Union, Mohamed Messai, accused the performer of "inciting hatred toward police officers." Another union announced that the police would boycott security for shows that offend morality.Read more Subscribers only Tunisia: 'The presidential project of a new Constitution is dangerous'
However, the tone was completely different from the Ministry of the Interior, which issued a statement the same day pledging that they would continue to ensure security at festivals. The ministry recalled that "an obscene gesture by the comedian" during the show in Sfax had "angered the police," but that Mr. Abdelli and his team had then been escorted to their hotel without incident. Nevertheless, the prosecutor's office has opened an investigation because, according to several witnesses, the performer's producer, Mohamed Boudhina, was allegedly attacked after the show. Police unions have denied this version of the events.
The incident has inflamed online debate in Tunisia on freedom of expression, some lamenting that it is now being threatened. "The police pose as guardians of morality in an already worrisome situation for freedoms," said lawyer Wahid Ferchichi, president of the Association for the Defense of Individual Liberties. He added, "Everyone knows this comedian's flair, and Tunisian audiences accept many things that are considered indecent if they're said on stage. The reaction of the police unions is shocking."
'Look where the country is headed!'
Since the coup on July 25, 2021, through which President Kais Saied claimed full powers for himself by establishing an emergency government, Parliament has been dissolved, the High Judicial Council has been abolished and replaced by a new one appointed by the head of state and civilians have been prosecuted before military courts. This concentration of powers within the presidency was finally ratified in a referendum voted on July 25. The new Constitution, which combines an all-powerful president and religious conservatism, was approved by 94% of voters – with a turnout of 30.5%.
Mr. Abdelli has not hidden the fact that he was in favor of voting "yes" on the referendum. That support did not prevent him, on Sunday night in Sfax, from challenging President Saied. "Look where the country is headed!" he said after his altercation with the police.
The rest of the comedian's summer shows have been canceled by his production team, believing that the comedian is no longer safe. Some fear the return of a police state. Lotfi Hamadi, a commentator with tens of thousands of followers on social media, posted a reminder on Facebook of the incidents that took place in 2013 between the police and Tunisian rappers. One of them, Weld 15, wrote a song called "Boulicia Kleb" ("Cops Are Dogs") and was sentenced to two years in prison for insulting an officer. The rapper was also beaten up by the police after one of his concerts.
As for Mr. Abdelli, he had to cancel several shows in 2020 following a controversy over a joke about the underwear of a female politician, MP Abir Moussi. At the time, the comedian said the president expressed his support and refused any form of censorship.Read more Kais Saied's dangerous plan for Tunisia
Lilia Blaise(Tunis (Tunisia) correspondent)
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.
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