Tear gas in Tunisia

Tear gas on the streets of Tunis.
Tunisian police fire tear gas to break up a protest by thousands of Islamists expressing outrage over a TV movie depicting Allah on the private channel Nessma.
The protest started peacefully, with more than 10,000 people demanding the imposition of Islamic law in Tunisia. It was the biggest protest to date by Islamists in the capital.
Then came the tear gas.
SOUNDBITE: Unamed protester, saying: (Arabic):
"They started, we told them that the march is peaceful and we want it to succeed. They're lying, we did not start the violence, and even when they started throwing tear gas we did not want to act."
Police arrested demonstrators and confiscated weapons.
SOUNDBITE: Masked policeman, saying: (Arabic):
"We are Muslims, we are not against peaceful demonstrations, but when there is looting and plundering and violence it becomes unacceptable and this is the position of the security forces, and the subject of Nessma is, however, in the hands of the judiciary, and if Tunisians believe in the fairness of the judiciary, why do they interfere with its work?"
Tunisia, the birthplace of the "Arab Spring" uprisings, will vote next week in a landmark election that now risks being overshadowed by growing tensions between Islamists and secularists over the country's future.
Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters.