Why Tunisians are still out on the streets -- a decade after the 'Dignity Revolution' By Saerom Han & Andrea Teti & Pamela Abbott - The Conversation LISTEN MAR 1, 2021 Tunisian demonstrators gather during a protest in Tunis, Tunisia on February 06, 2021. - Source: Photo by Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images It has been 10 years since nation-wide protests in Tunisia led to the ousting of Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his regime. Ben Ali led Tunisia for 23 years. Tunisia's “Dignity Revolution” marked the first time a long-standing Arab autocrat was removed by a mass uprising. The protests were driven by unemployment, food inflation, corruption, lack of political freedom and poor living conditions in the country.