Tunisia’s ruling Islamist party condemns US embassy attack, says violence threatens democracy

TUNIS, Tunisia – Tunisia’s ruling moderate Islamist party has condemned an attack on the U.S. Embassy, saying such violence threatens the country’s progress toward democracy after decades of dictatorship.

Protesters on Friday briefly stormed the U.S. Embassy compound in Tunis and ransacked an adjacent school. Two demonstrators died and 40 people were injured.

The attack was part of a wave of demonstrations across the Muslim World to protest a film created in the U.S. that insults the Prophet Muhammad.

The youth wing of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party said in a statement that both the film and the violence should be condemned.

The statement, emailed early Saturday, warned that “enemies of the revolution” were manipulating anger to divide the country and prevent Tunisia from building a robust democracy.