At the root of the unrest in Tunisia is discontent with the autocratic government's management of the economy. Thousands of lawyers went on strike Thursday. News reports said Friday that teachers had joined the strikes.

A journalist in Tunis, the capital, who requests anonymity for security reasons, said in an e-mail interview that clashes continued Friday in the northern farming town of Siliana between security forces and residents. Banks and some government buildings there had been set on fire, the journalist said.

Censors appeared to be putting substantial effort into stopping the information flow about the unrest. Pages on Facebook criticizing the government reportedly have been taken down, and some bloggers and journalists covering the protests complain that their accounts on social networking sites have been hacked.

The demonstrations began after an unemployed 26-year-old university graduate set himself on fire last month in Sidi Bouzid to protest the police seizure of his vegetable cart. He died of his injuries Tuesday.