Jellaz Affair

The Jellaz Affair (Arabic: أحداث ٱلجلّاز Aḥdāth ul-Jallāz) (French: Affaire du Djellaz) was a violent confrontation in November 1911 between Tunisian protesters and the authorities of the French Protectorate of Tunisia which began at the Jellaz Cemetery.[1] Over the course of two days, it became a series of fights and attacks in the streets, primarily involving Tunisians and Italian settlers.[2] It was the most serious outbreak of violence in Tunis, and the first time French soldiers fired on the civilian population, since the establishment of the Protectorate in 1881. It was therefore a critical juncture in the development of the Tunisian nationalist movement.[3][4][5]

Plan of Tunis 1916 showing the Arab city to the left, the European areas to the right, and Jellaz cemetery to the south, marked 'cimitière de Sidi-bel-Hassen'
  1. ^ 'Un 7 novembre en cache toujours un autre…' accessed 27/12/2016
  2. ^ 'Les grands jours de Tunis, Gil Blas, 4 June 1912, pp.1-2 accessed 28/12/2016
  3. ^ Sophie Bessis & Souhayr Belhassen, 'Bourguiba', Editions Elyzad 2012 p.12
  4. ^ Derek Hopwood & Sue Mi Terry, 'Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia: The Tragedy of Longevity', Springer 2016 p.114
  5. ^ Mary Dewhurst Lewis, Divided Rule: Sovereignty and Empire in French Tunisia, 1881-1938, Univ of California Press 2013 p.142