Good morning everyone - along with Eric Reguly's eyewitness reports from the funeral of Chokri Belaid in a suburb of the capital Tunis today, we'll be providing some context. A couple of things to keep in mind: no arrests so far in the killing of Mr. Belaid; the Islamist prime minister attempted to create a new non-partisan government of trechnocrats, but the ruling Islamist party (Ennahda) has overruled.

Bottom line: the tensions we have witnessed in another Arab Spring country - Egypt - where Islamists and liberals have clashed is unfolding in a very significant way in Tunisia. In other words, a very polarized society which threatens to derail the country's transition to democracy.

That tweet from Michael Hanna, who is a senior fellow at The Century Foundation think tank in New York. There is no doubt: the assassination of Chokri Belaid has really galvanized the opposition.

My fixer, her face burning, informs me that it is time to Fxxx off.

Just looking at the pictures by Globe's Eric Reguly, who is there on the ground: those security forces and how they respond to protesters will play a big part in whether things escalate.

Among the thousands of mourners: Chokri Belaid's widow Besma and their 8 year old daughter, according to agencies. AFP reports: Besma help up two fingers in the victory sign. Around her, the crowd chanted: "The people want a new revolution."

A great bit of context via the Atlantic Council think tank: "Four opposition parties–Nidaa Tounes, al-Massar, the Popular Front, and al-Joumhouri–withdrew from the NCA [National Constituent Assembly] and called for a general strike... Collectively, these opposition groups comprise roughly ninety of the NCA’s 217 seats." More here: www.acus.org’s-assassination-impacts-tunisian-transition

Army of police on main boulevard in Tunis, prepping for post funeral demonstrations, riots maybe.

Am warned by my Tunisian friends not to confuse legitimate protestors with nasty looters.

Belaid's coffin is red, like the Tunisian flag. He is being buried as a martyr for democracy.

AFP reporting: "As Belaid's body was lowered into the ground, thousands of people cried "Allahu akbar!" (God is greatest) before singing the national anthem and reciting the opening verse of the Koran"

Thousands of Egyptians in Cairo are saying prayers for Chokri Belaid, who is now buried.

Tunisialive say Mosaique FM reports that a car full of knives and other bladed items was found in Tunis's Habib Bourguiba avenue.

If you're just joining this live blog, it has been a dramatic day in Tunisia - the county that sparked the Arab Spring two years ago. Tens of thousands of mourners joined a funeral procession in a suburb of the capital. The Globe's Eric Reguly is in the capital Tunis reporting on today's events - check out his tweets, pictures and a video below.

Tear gas has been used near the cemetery where the procession was headed with the coffin of Chokri Belaid, the slain opposition leader and fierce critic of Islamists. And there have been clashes with police elsewhere in the capital and in the country.

Chokri Belaid was buried in a red coffin as a martyr for freedom and democracy in Tunis at about 4pm local time. The leader of a leftist opposition party was gunned down Wednesday morning outside his Tunis home. He had said for some time that he had been receiving death threats because of his relentless criticism of the Islamist government. Sadly, it was not a publicity stunt.

While the funeral itself was largely peaceful, Belaid would not have approved of the violence outside the cemetery. In the early and mid-afternoon, hotheaded young men set a few cars alight and the billowing black smoke blotted out the sky at times. Were the perpetrators protestors, anarchists or looters? It was not immediately clear.

The police responded with tear gas, and lots of it. At points, thousands of people stampeded away from the gas, though the streets were wide enough that they could avoid getting trampled. Things got dangerous when the tear gas was flung into the cemetery itself. The crowd had trouble moving fast among the tombs. A gas canister landed almost at my feet and the pain was unbearable. It felt like someone had taken a blowtorch to my eyes and lungs. That’s when my fixer, Roua, and I decided to make ourselves scarce.

It is now about 5:30 p.m. in Tunis. The funeral is over and the question now is whether central Tunis itself, the site of the mass protests two years ago that ended the career of Ben Ali, the Tunisian dictator, will be repeated tonight. The police are taking no chances. Avenue Habib Bourguiba, the main drag in the city centre, is absolutely stuffed with riot police dressed like gladiators.

If demonstrations break out and turn ugly – peaceful demonstrations can turn violent in seconds, I have learned from covering riots in Athens – a lot of people could get hurt. My Tunisian friend Zied Mhirsi, founder of the Tunisialive English-language web site, Tweeted that anyone headed to the city centre tonight “is taking a life-threatening risk.” My guess – and I could be totally wrong on this – is that Tunis will not explode tonight, though there are bound to be sporadic clashes with looters and bored young men who love a tussle. Tunisians pride themselves as being a peaceful people, which is why they are so shocked by Belaid’s brutal murder. To counter violence with violence would be against his spirit.

Thanks for staying with this live blog - we're going to wrap it up for now. A big thanks to the Globe's Eric Reguly who is in Tunisia and reported for this live blog.