Bread Riots (Tunisia)
The bread riots ( Arabic أحداث الخبز, DMG Aḥdāṯ al-ḫubz ) in Tunisia in January 1984 broke out as a result of the sudden increase in food prices .
After years of food subsidies, Tunisia ran into fundamental economic difficulties in January 1984 . The government tried to solve the problem by cutting subsidies: from one day to the next, bread prices were supposed to almost double. Also, flour and other food products became more expensive in this context. As bread was a staple food in the country, riots broke out across the country, which quickly spread and directed against everything that was seen as a symbol of a luxurious life: grocery stores were looted, travel agencies and middle-class cars were set on fire. Dead and injured were to be mourned. Eventually, President Habib Bourguiba withdrew the increases.