Tunis---Tunisian officials said Friday they expected tens of thousands of protesters to march against extremism over the weekend, ahead of the reopening of its national museum closed after a deadly jihadist attack.
Spokesman Moez Sinaoui said President Beji Caid Essebsi would be among those turning out Sunday in Tunis to show the country was united against "terrorism".
French President Francois Hollande is also expected to attend the march alongside several foreign leaders, 10 days after gunmen attacked tourists at the National Bardo Museum, killing 21 people and plunging the country into mourning.
Essebsi called earlier in the week for a huge turnout for the rally that will finish outside the museum, due to reopen to the public on Monday.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the March 18 attack, raising concerns over prospects for Tunisia's vital tourism sector.
The Bardo's doors were open Friday to school children and students, and an AFP journalist said bullet holes could still be seen on some interior walls.
"I was a little (scared) but now that we are here I can see that things are safe," Lena Bottlender, a 17-year-old German student, told AFP.
Soumeya, a young Tunisian who visited Friday, said she was "scared when she watched (the attacks on) the television".
"We are here to show people that there is nothing to be afraid of," she said.
AFP
