TUNIS, Tunisia, July 26 (UPI) -- The largest trade union Tunisia staged a general strike Friday to protest the shooting death of opposition leader Mohamed Brahmi, officials said.
The UGTT union said the shutdown was a denouncement of general "terrorism, violence and murders."
Brahmi, a member of the Tunisian Parliament, was shot at least 11 times Thursday at his home in Aryanah, near Tunis.
Police fired tear gas as thousands of people took to the streets in Tunis and Sidi Bouzid to protest Brahmi's death, which many blamed on the ruling Islamist Ennahda party, the Voice of America.
The Ennahda party has also been accused by some of the killing of Chokri Belaid, a prominent secular figure, in February, the BBC reported. Protesters are calling for the Ennahda to relinquish power.
In a statement, the Ennahda called Brahmi's assassination "a cowardly and despicable crime."
Brahmi, 58, was the leader of the Arab nationalist People's Party that is opposed to the Ennahda, which came into power after President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali was ousted in January 2011.
As part of the strike, all Tunisair flights going in and out of the country were canceled Friday, the BBC reported.
