Young Tunisians

The Young Tunisians (حركة الشباب التونسى Ḥarakat ash-shabāb at-Tūnisi) (Jeunes Tunisiens) was a Tunisian political party and political reform movement in the early 20th century. Its main goal was to advocate for reforms in the French protectorate in order to give more political autonomy and equal treatment to Tunisians. In 1883, Tunisia was declared a protectorate. A group of young Tunisian intellectuals started an anti-colonial movement that was challenging the Sufi orders. Their ideas influenced the modern reforms in the country. The party, known as the Jeunes Tunisiens (Young Tunisians), was formed in 1907 who thought that the people of Tunisia should have self-determination, rather than being a protectorate of France. The movement was inspired by the Young Turks of the Ottoman Empire and the Egyptian National Party led by Mustafa Kamil Pasha. They were French-educated and advocated for the rights of Tunisians and Frenchmen. In 1908 the party supported the establishment of a constitution for Tunisia. They printed a newspaper called Le Tunisien. This was the first French-language Arab newspaper in Tunisia. Their motto was "Organe hebdomadaire des intérêts indigènes" ("the weekly voice of the natives"). The newspaper combined modernist and reformist ideas with traditional Tunisian values. In 1912, the Young Tunisians attempted to negotiate with the French about the reforms. Tensions started to rise between the Young Tunisians and the French authorities when the negotiations did not progress. Two events were particularly noteworthy. The first event were protests held in 1911 against the French authorities who had confiscated the Zallaj land. The second event happened in 1912 when a Tunisian boy was killed due to an Italian driver who ran over the tramway. As a result, the Tunisians decided to boycott the tramway service. There was resentment against the French colonialism. Due to the protests and clashes, France decided to sharpen its colonial policy by censoring the press and limited the Young Tunisians in 1912.