Attacks on two politicians and an academic in the last two weeks have some Tunisians fearing that political violence is becoming a potent force in the country.

Last weekend, Jawher Ben Mbarek, head of independent list Doustourna, along with fellow female activists Zohra Triki and Raja Ben Fraj, were attacked by a number of religious activists described by witnesses as Salafists - a group adhering to an ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam - in Souk El Ahad in the southern governorate of Kebili.

Mohamed Hedi Maghrebi, an active member of Doustourna, stated that what happened last Saturday was the attempted murder of Jawher Ben Mbarek. "One of the men had a knife in his hand, and was calling to kill Jawher. The others chased the cars of our friends and were stoning them," stated Maghrebi.

"What are the government and the authorities doing if they are unable protect Tunisian citizens from such attacks?" asked the Doustourna representative. Maghrebi also condemned the passivity of the Ministry of the Interior, which announced that it may open an investigation into the events.

The Tunisian League of Human Rights (LTDH) also condemned the acts of violence against Ben Mbarek. "The growing phenomenon of Salafist attacks and the practice of various types of violence and terrorism represent a serious threat to public security and a flagrant violation to the rule of law," reads the statement of the LTDH.

Last Sunday, the city Klibia in the governorate of Nabeul was also the arena of physical confrontation. A group of forty bearded men attempted to prevent Tunisian anthropologist and philosopher Youssef Seddik from accessing the city's cultural center, where he was meant to deliver a conference.

Seddik described the demonstrators as Salafists and stated that the group threatened to assault him and anyone who tried to attend the conference.

Maya Jribi, member of the National Constituent Assembly and Secretary General of the Republican Party, was verbally assaulted last week when she visited Al Maleha, a southern suburb of Tunis. A video circulating on Facebook showed the member of the Constituent Assembly being assaulted by angry protesters.

This morning, the Doustourna Network organized a press conference to condemn the escalation of political violence. Many national figures and members from the National Constituent Assembly participated in the event and condemned the use of violence against politicians.

Maghrebi from Doustourna said that his movement is now working on a set of recommendations that will soon be made public. He asserted that the government needs to come up with a plan to face this growing wave of violence.