Tunisia: Tensions Rise After Coup Threat

The police battled hundreds of protesters in Tunis, above, demanding the government’s resignation on Friday in the most violent confrontations for weeks with pro-democracy demonstrators. Tension has risen since a former minister warned Thursday of a possible coup by loyalists of the ousted government if Islamists win elections. Protesters said that even though the interim government had denounced the coup threat, it raised fears that it could be used to derail reforms meant to lead to an election in July. The interim government has led Tunisia since a revolution in January.