Faida Hamdy: Why a Tunisian council worker blames herself for the Arab Spring
'Sometimes I wish I’d never done it… I feel responsible for everything,' Faida Hamdy says
.jpg)
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A former Tunisian council inspector who confiscated a vegetable stall from a man who set himself on fire - ultimately triggering a revolution that brought down the country’s dictator – has described how she feels personally responsible for turbulent aftermath of the Arab Spring.
Versions of the altercation between government worker Faida Hamdy and Mohammed Bouazizi five years ago are hotly disputed.
It was alleged at the time that Mrs Hamdy had hit the 26-year-old vendor. Despite the fact Ms Hamdy has denied striking him, the apparent incident became dubbed as “the slap that sparked a revolution”.
Since then, Mr Bouzazi’s suicide began a chain of events that led to revolutions across the Arab world. Within weeks of his death he had inspired a wave of protests and President Ben Ali had fled Tunisia after overseeing a dictatorship that had spanned 23 years.
While she did not clarify the exact nature of her interaction with the vendor, Ms Hamdy spoke to the The Daily Telegraph about her general role in the historic changes that swept the region.
She said: “Sometimes I wish I’d never done it… I feel responsible for everything… sometimes, I blame myself and say it is all because of me.
"I made history since I was the one who was there and my action contributed to it but look as us now. Meanwhile, Tunisians are suffering as always.”
Mrs Hamdy said she felt both she and Mr Bouazizi were victims, saying he lost his life and hers was no longer the same.
“When I look at the region and my country, I regret it all.” she added.
“Death everywhere and extremism blooming, and killing beautiful souls.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments