Tunisian government bars Salafists meeting in Kairouan

The ministry said in a statement that the group had "shown distain for state institutions" and was "a threat to public security."
 
    "The Interior Ministry has decided to ban the gathering of Ansar al-Sharia, which has shown distain for state institutions, incited violence against them, and poses a threat to public security," the statement read.
 
 
Rashid al-Ghannushi who heads the moderate Islamic ruling party, Ennahda, has warned that the government would not allow the annual congress to take place.
 
Latest reports say security forces have cordoned off roads into Kairouan and prevented hundreds of people from entering the troubled region.
 
The authorities have deployed a large number of police forces along the main highway from the capital to the city of Kairouan.
 
However, the Salafists have vowed to defy any ban on holding the gathering. Ansar al-Sharia spokesman, Seifeddine Rais, warned that the government would be responsible for any violence.
 
The group wants stricter laws imposed in Tunisia.
 
Ennahda was elected following the ouster of former dictator, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, in January 2011.
 
Tunisia has seen numerous clashes between the authorities and Salafists over the past few months.