Nizar Issaoui, a professional footballer in Tunisia, died after setting himself on fire earlier this week in what he called a protest against the country’s “police state,” according to his brother.
Nizar Issaoui, 35, suffered third-degree burns as a result of his actions in the village of Haffouz in Kairouan’s central region, according to his brother Ryad.
He was transferred from a hospital in Kairouan to a specialist burns hospital in Tunis, but doctors were unable to save his life, according to his brother.
He died on Thursday and was laid to rest on Friday.
Issaoui’s protest was reminiscent of that of street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi, who burned himself to death on December 17, 2010, igniting the Tunisian revolution that sparked the Arab Spring uprisings that toppled authoritarian regimes across the Middle East.
The news of Issaoui’s death sparked protests in Haffouz on Thursday evening, according to Tunisian media. Young protesters threw stones at police, who retaliated with tear gas.
The authorities made no immediate comment.
On Friday, hundreds of mourners gathered outside Issaoui’s house awaiting his funeral, shouting: “With our blood and with our soul we will sacrifice ourselves for you, Nizar”.
During his funeral, clashes broke out between protesters and the police, who fired tear gas, local media reported.
Nizar Issaoui was a free agent at the time of his death, after a career that saw him play for a range of clubs from the lower divisions to the top flight.
In a Facebook post shortly before his fatal action, Issaoui said he had sentenced himself to “death by fire”.
“I have no more energy. Let the police state know that the sentence will be executed today,” he wrote.
According to Tunisian media, Nizar Issaoui decided to make his extreme protest against the police after officers accused him of “terrorism” when he complained that he was unable to buy bananas for less than 10 dinars ($3.30) a kilogram, double the price set by the government.
A video selfie circulating on social media shows Issaoui screaming: “For a dispute with someone selling bananas at 10 dinars, I get accused of terrorism at the police station. Terrorism for a complaint about bananas.”