It was the second day of protests in the capital of Tunis amid international concern about the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.<\/b>
\nTUNIS, Tunisia \u2014 Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is encountering something in Tunisia that he doesn\u2019t see often: public anger.
Hours before his arrival Tuesday, more than 200 protesters denounced his visit in a second day of protests in the capital, amid international concern about the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Cries of \u201cTunisia is not for sale\u201d rang across the main avenue of Tunis in Tuesday\u2019s gathering by activists. Some burned a Saudi Arabian flag and others demonstrated with saws.
A banner showing a doctored image of the prince holding a bone saw hung on the headquarters of the Tunisian journalists union. Turkish officials say Khashoggi\u2019s body was dismembered in the Saudi Embassy in Istanbul last month.
Saudi authorities have blamed the killing on lower-ranking officials who they say exceeded their authority.
The prince was expected to remain discreet during his visit of several hours to Tunisia. He will meet with President Beji Caid Essebsi at the presidential palace in Carthage, outside Tunis. An official statement is to follow.
A youth activist group that criticizes Saudi limits on women\u2019s rights was among those demonstrating Tuesday in this North African nation. \u201cNo to Repression of Freedom of Expression\u201d read one sign.
\u201cWe\u2019re here to say no, 1,000 times no to the visit by the criminal bin Salman,\u201d said protester Said Arous.
Prince Mohammed is not exposed to this kind of protest back home, where he\u2019s engaged in a crackdown targeting business leaders, human rights activists and other royals.
Traveling abroad for the first time since the killing, the crown prince is visiting Arab allies before heading to a Group of 20 summit in Argentina this week, where he may face questions about the gruesome slaying.
On his tour\u2019s first stop, in the United Arab Emirates, the Saudi prince was embraced on the tarmac by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, a close ally.
Tunisian President Essebsi\u2019s office said Tunisia denounces the journalist\u2019s killing and wants a full investigation, but doesn\u2019t want it to be used to destabilize Saudi Arabia. Asked about the prince\u2019s visit, Tunisian government minister Selma Elloumi said he is \u201cwelcome\u201d in Tunisia and stressed \u201chistorical and fraternal\u201d relations between the countries.
But many Tunisians are angry over the killing and suspicions of the prince\u2019s involvement.
\u201cHe is coming to this country to dirty it, and acquire a false legitimacy,\u201d Tahar Yahya, of the Tunisian Order of Lawyers said Monday night. \u201cWe don\u2019t want the money of a regime whose hands are stained with blood.\u201d His group tried to seek a court order blocking the prince\u2019s visit.
The Tunisian journalists\u2019 union sent a letter to the president calling it an \u201cattack on the principles\u201d of the 2011 revolution that brought democracy and freedom of expression to Tunisia.
Saudi Arabia offered refuge to the autocratic ruler that Tunisians overthrew in 2011, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and democracy activists have denounced Riyadh\u2019s refusal to extradite him.
A dozen Tunisian non-governmental organizations issued a joint statement saying the visit is aimed at cleaning up Prince Mohammed\u2019s image after the Khashoggi death, and denounced \u201cflagrant violations of human rights and repressive practices against freedom of speech\u201d in Saudi Arabia.
The Tunisian journalists\u2019 union also filed a legal complaint Monday against the prince for alleged crimes against humanity in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting Shiite rebels. It\u2019s unclear whether Tunisian authorities will take action on the complaint.
Human Rights Watch has made a similar legal request in Argentina.
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