Thousands of angry demonstrators have marched through Tunisia's capital, demanding the immediate resignation of the country's autocratic leader.
The protests came a day after President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali appeared on TV to try to stop deadly riots that have swept the country.
Meanwhile, British tour operator Thomas Cook said it was evacuating 1,800 tourists from the country after the violence. It said it had not seen any specific problems for holidaymakers in Tunisia but was asking everyone to leave as a precaution.
Protesters chanted slogans against the president including "Ben Ali, out!" and "Ben Ali, assassin!" One poster read "We won't forget," a reference to the rioters killed, many by police bullets.
The march was organised by Tunisia's only legal trade union, which also went ahead with a symbolic two-hour strike in the region of the capital.
The official death toll in the riots is 23, but opposition figures say dozens more have been killed.
Pent-up anger at unemployment, and at a leadership many see as controlling and corrupt, has exploded into protests and clashes with police over the past few weeks. The demonstrations started in the provinces but this week reached Tunis, the capital of the Mediterranean tourist haven that has long been spared unrest.
Facing the worst unrest in his 23 years in power, Mr Ben Ali went on television on Thursday night, making sweeping pledges for political and media freedom, saying he would leave the presidency when his term ends in 2014, and ordering prices on sugar, milk and bread slashed.
In Tunisia, the tourism industry is key to the country's economy. Thomas Cook said: "Although there has been no specific problems for our holidaymakers, their well-being is our primary concern so, as a precaution, we've taken the decision to bring them back to the UK as soon as we can, using our fleet of aircraft."
Thousands of angry demonstrators have marched through Tunisia's capital, demanding the immediate resignation of the country's autocratic leader.
The protests came a day after President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali appeared on TV to try to stop deadly riots that have swept the country.
Meanwhile, British tour operator Thomas Cook said it was evacuating 1,800 tourists from the country after the violence. It said it had not seen any specific problems for holidaymakers in Tunisia but was asking everyone to leave as a precaution.
Protesters chanted slogans against the president including "Ben Ali, out!" and "Ben Ali, assassin!" One poster read "We won't forget," a reference to the rioters killed, many by police bullets.
The march was organised by Tunisia's only legal trade union, which also went ahead with a symbolic two-hour strike in the region of the capital.
The official death toll in the riots is 23, but opposition figures say dozens more have been killed.
Pent-up anger at unemployment, and at a leadership many see as controlling and corrupt, has exploded into protests and clashes with police over the past few weeks. The demonstrations started in the provinces but this week reached Tunis, the capital of the Mediterranean tourist haven that has long been spared unrest.
Facing the worst unrest in his 23 years in power, Mr Ben Ali went on television on Thursday night, making sweeping pledges for political and media freedom, saying he would leave the presidency when his term ends in 2014, and ordering prices on sugar, milk and bread slashed.
In Tunisia, the tourism industry is key to the country's economy. Thomas Cook said: "Although there has been no specific problems for our holidaymakers, their well-being is our primary concern so, as a precaution, we've taken the decision to bring them back to the UK as soon as we can, using our fleet of aircraft."