[Al Ahram] A protest in the northwest Tunisian city of Kef turned violent Thursday, leaving 15 injured, as a strong police cordon in Tunis held another demonstration by unemployed university graduates at bay.Police fired teargas to disperse a protest by hundreds of residents of Kef when demonstrators tried to storm the local government headquarters, chanting "no to exclusion, marginalisation and contempt," public broadcaster Radio Kef reported.
The protesters, who in turn threw stones at police, complain their region is not receiving its fair share of public spending and accuse governor Abdelkader Trabelsi of failing to protect his constituents' interests.
Demonstrators are demanding more jobs, infrastructure spending and a university hospital, according to information posted on Tunisian websites.
"There are some injuries, people who fainted because of the teargas, and there are festivities between police and youths who are throwing stones," a protester named Hichem told AFP by phone.
Fifteen people were maimed, one of them badly, said a hospital source.
Kef, a city of some 50,000 people, is about 175 kilometres (110 miles) west of Tunis and is the capital of the region of the same name.